


Finding Hope

by narry09



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bwwm, F/M, Family, First Time, Gen, Love, Multi, Poly Relationship, Porn With Plot, Slow Burn, Smut, future smut, interracial, lost of virginity, roman!jason
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 12:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3810265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narry09/pseuds/narry09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christian Tucker is a child of Apollo and her demigod mother at the age of 17. She's been fighting her whole life to protect her siblings from monsters. When her mother dies she's left alone with her 3 siblings to make it to Camp Half-Blood. What they're all hoping to find there is peace, safety and family. Upon arrival to CHB she gets more than what she bargained for and life gets more hectic as she falls for a certain Golden Boy and has a quest to complete for her father. Rated T-M slow burn</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Smelly Motel 8

FULL SUMMARY:  
Christian Tucker is a child of Apollo and her demigod mother at the age of 17. She's been fighting her whole life to protect her siblings from monsters. When her and her family finally settle down her mother is killed and she's left alone with her 3 siblings to make it to Camp Half-Blood. What they're all hoping to find there is peace, safety and family and the option to stop running. Upon arrival to CHB she gets more than what she bargained for and life gets more hectic as she falls for a certain Golden Boy and enters a weird love square and has a quest to complete for her father. Rated T-M

RELATIONSHIPS: Jason Grace/OC, Jercy (later) Jasper, Frazel, Annabeth/Reyna, Leo/Calypso and DiSolace AKA Will/Nico. Brief mentions of Percabeth.

CHARACTERS AS MENTIONED:  
The Tucker's:  
Mary Tucker - Mother - child of Aphrodite- Deceased.  
Christian Tucker - 17 - daughter of Apollo and Mary.  
Blaise Tucker - 15 - son of Ares and Mary.  
Maya Tucker - 12 - daughter of Hephaestus and Mary.  
Courtney Tucker - 7 - mundane - daughter of Mary.

DISCLAIMER:  
This story belongs to Rick Riordan. I'm just borrowing his characters.

**CHAPTER ONE: Smelly Motel 8**

 

"Shh. Don't make a sound. I'm gonna leave to find mom. If I don't come back in 4 minutes you three run! Do you understand?"

I looked my brother hard in his eyes.

"If I don't come back," my voice cracked, "if I don't. You better be strong for our sisters. Be the big brother I know you can be."

"Okay but-" I cut him off.

"No buts!"

He nodded solemnly and hardened up like a man. I glanced over at my two little sisters. Young and so innocent. These were my hearts. All the years I put into making sure we survived reflected in their health and their wellbeing. They were crying with fear and terror etched in their face.

"I love you guys," I whispered caressing their little faces.

I turned before they could see my own tears fall from my eyes. I ran to the house we had just escaped, making sure to not make a bunch of noise on the broken glass and pieces of the house that had been destroyed. A wave of sadness hit me. We'd finally found a home that was ours and it was taken from us. A home that we didn't have to leave after 3 months of living there.

I roamed the dark house. It was only illuminated by the moonlight from outside. The kitchen I would spend mornings in was destroyed. The stove hissing slightly. I made my way further into the house. Crunching glass under my feet as I passed the living room and ascended the stairs.

The pictures we had just taken a week before as a family hung crookedly on the walls. Most of them fallen. I picked up the one of all 4 of us surrounding our mom. Our brown faces smiling brightly as we hugged her. I folded the picture up and put it in my pocket. Just then I heard muffled yelling coming from upstairs. I ran up the remainder of the steps almost falling into a pit. I took a step back.

A huge gaping hole was in the center of the floor making it impossible for me to cross over. When I peered over the hole I could see down into what used to be our dining room.

A chandelier hung in the middle of the room, barely tethered to wall. I needed to get into my mothers room one way or another. I mustered up all my courage and took as many steps back to the stairs I could allow.

With 3 running steps I leaped onto the chandelier, using my momentum to swing myself into the double doors. I braced myself for impact and landed in a tuck and roll. When I stood I unsheathed my celestial bronze sword taking down two monsters that were in the room. My mother was in a headlock by a lycanthrope.

"Let her go or die," I seethe through my teeth.

The lycanthrope laughs. His yellow rotting teeth peeking from his mouth. He has no weapons in his hands, only his hands around my mother's throat while she stands afraid and angry.

"You silly little girl. You can't stop me with that bronze sword."

What he fails to realize is that my bows are tipped with celestial bronze and silver and I'm more than accurate with my bow. I watch as a bead of sweat runs down my mother's face. Her eyes darting back and forth and I realize she's signaling to me. Her eyes dart to the left of me and then back.

I swiftly spin on my heel and take another monster out with a plunge of sword, by the time I make my full turn the lycanthrope is transforming and going in to bite my mother. She stands there pained and panicked and suddenly she's talking.

"Let me go," she says as her hair starts whipping around as if a ruthless wind had picked up in the room.

And shockingly he stops and let's my mom go. He looks confused and I understand his confusion because I felt it too.

"Back away and pick up that silver rod." Her eyes are glowing red and prominent against her skull.

He picks up a silver rod hanging on my mother's wall and looks at it in horror but doesn't drop it.

"Now stab yourself in the heart."

And he does so. Erupting into dust and disappearing.

My mom's hair slowly relaxes back into its original state and her eyes go back to normal and her body slacks.

The confusion in the air dissolves and I look from where the werewolf once stood and the silver rod now lay, to where my mom stood panting and sweating.

"Mom?"

"I'm sorry I never told you Christian," she whispered and I could tell that she was going to fall over so I grabbed her.

"Mommy! Mom! What's wrong, are you hurt?"

I start peeling back her clothes and see a huge gaping hole in her side that I hadn't noticed at the beginning. It looked as if someone had taken a chunk out of her.

"Mom. Please. Tell me it wasn't the lycanthrope," I whisper, tears threatening to spill over.

"It's okay Christian. I need you to listen to this," she wheezes and it's all the confirmation I need, "you need to go to Long Island to a place called Camp Half-Blood. I'm sorry I never told you." She starts breaking down. Tears spilling from her eyes.

"I wanted for you guys to have a normal life without the Gods or quests or living the life of a Demigod and I failed. I failed you guys and I'm so sorry. The moving that we did was all done so that I could find a way for you guys to elude the Greek life I had to live. My mother made me do stupid things. Go on stupid quests and risk my life and I didn't want you 3 to know that life.

"Listen here. You find your siblings and when you leave here; you guys run. Run and make your way to Camp Half-Blood and no matter what you make sure you're youngest sister goes with you," she began coughing blood. "Look in my closet. There's a back pack with ambrosia and nectar and everything you guys might need. Take it and leave. Okay?"

I didn't respond. This was too much for me. What did she mean? She wanted us to leave her and go to New York? I'd never been anywhere with out my mom. She's always been there for us. Anytime we had to run, she ran with us. What we were running from? Sometimes I never really knew, but I sure did know how to fight it.

"Christian! Do you hear me?! You leave now, take this bag and you four leave. Don't split up. You guys are a family remember that. Okay?" She's crying hard. Face etched in pain but her eyes are strong, looking into mine for confirmation that I'll be the warrior that I need to be. There's a bit of worry there but love is evident in the way she's searching my face.

"Yes mom," I whisper.

I kiss her and run to the closet and grab the bag. It's small and fits on my back perfectly. When I make it out my mom has dragged her self to the side of the bed. She's leaning there, eyes half lidded as she smiles at a picture of our little family.

"Tell your siblings I love them," she whispers. I see a silver knife in her hand and I sense something a little different about her. She's turning.

I keep my tears unshed because I know I had to appear strong for her sake and my siblings.

"I love you mom," I whisper.

"I love you too. Now go."

I walk through the broken open doors without looking back. I can't bring myself to see what my mom might be doing. I brace myself for a fall and jump down the hole in the middle of our upstairs into the dining room. The table collapses under my weight and pressure and I pick myself up and run out of the house the way I came in.

When I make it to the bushes my brother and sisters were located, they're still perched in their spots, relief spreading on their faces.

"Where's mom," my brother asks.

"Mom said she loves you guys and for us to be strong. We're a family and we're gonna make it together. From this day on we move forward and we don't look back. You understand?"

They nod solemnly seeming to get the point.

"So mom is..."

"Yeah," I answer my brother. He looks down and I see tears fall from his eyes. "We will avenge our mom."

I nod and with that we all stand and start walking.

There were many questions they had for me like; "Where are we going?" asked by my youngest sister Courtney.

"To New York. We're going to a place called camp Half-Blood."

"What's camp Half-Blood" asked my brother. To which I answered I'm not sure but mom wanted us to go there so that's where we're headed.

"Who's gonna be there?" My other sister asked. I pondered this for a while and gave the best answer I could think of; "It's probably a place with people like what mom used to read us to bed. Remember the Greek stories with demigods and gods and satyrs and such. I think it's a place where there are others that are similar to us."

After that the questions ceased. I think sleep was getting to everyone and the thought of there being real life satyrs and other demigods were floating around their heads. Our whole life we had known our mom, one another and monsters. We'd never encountered a kind creature.

We had walked till about the break of dawn. Dodging cars on the highway and feral animals. We found a motel 8.

"Blaise stay here watch the girls I'm gonna get us a room," i said.

My brother unsheathed his sword and my sisters stood alert.

"We don't have any money Christian, how are you gonna pay," Blaise asked.

"Mom said she packed everything we might need hopefully there's a credit card in here or something valuable."

I left them and walked to the front desk counter. It was located outside. The parking lot was bare except for a few rundown cars. There was an exceptional looking white RX Hybrid Lexus with a golden sun medallion hanging in the front. I don't know why anyone driving such a car would be at a Motel 8, but who was I to judge?

There was a pimply looking teenager by the window. She looked annoyed beyond capacity, filing her nails and chewing her gum louder than necessary.

"Can I help you?" She said eyeing me as if I had just crawled out of the trash can.

I was taken aback a little, not because of her gaze but because her voice sounded like a him. It was deep and resonated.

"Umm yeah. I need one room with two beds for a few hours."

"That means checkout is at 11," the person said twirling the gum on their finger.

"Okay that's fine," I said glancing around me.

"That'll be $86.75."

"$86.75! For one room!"

"You can take it or leave it. Get your ass outta here if you can't afford it."

I glared at the man-lady and opened up the bag. I dug around for awhile trying to find something. I spotted a golden card in a pocket. I pulled it out and read the name of it. BANK OF OLYMPUS: GOLD CARD.

I handed the card over to the lady. She swiped it and popped her gum one time before handing it back to me.

She rummaged around in a drawer and pulled out a key.

"Room 12. Be out by 11."

I nodded and snatched the keys swiftly. I trekked back to where the rest of the group stood. "Let's go."

They followed. My brother kept his sword brandished and we walked to the room. Our room was in the area of the white Lexus. I opened the door that had the huge number 12 on it.

The door being opened illuminated the place. There was a small TV, a mini fridge and microwave and two beds. I flicked the light switch on and lead the way into the room. The room reeked like nasty gym socks and cigarettes but was in pretty good shape.

I closed and lock the door after us.

My brother drops himself on the bed and my sisters follow suit. I go to check the bathroom out. Everything is pretty safe and for a Motel 8, it was in pretty good shape. In the light I could assess everyone's damages.

My brother had a split lip and eyebrow and bruising everywhere. The side of my sister's face was turning a nasty shade of purple. And my youngest sister was unharmed except for a few pieces of wood and glass in here hair and cuts.

I couldn't imagine what I looked like. I opened the book bag and prayed that my mom had packed my herbs and ointments. I dug around and as I thought 'bruising ointment' it seemed to appear in the bag. I pulled it out and stuck it in again thinking 'tweezers' and it formed.

I smiled. My mom was brilliant.

"Mom gave us a magic book bag," I said. "You think what you want and it appears."

My brother jumped up and places his hand in and pulled out a package of frozen peas for our sister.

"That's so cool. You think I could get weapons from it? Like a sword or a scythe? That'd be perfect. A gun and some celestial bronze ammo would be great when we're fighting all those monsters."

I rolled my eyes. My brother was so enthusiastic when it came to fighting and killing monsters.

"Can we have ice cream," my youngest sister, Courtney, asks.

"After we shower. You guys all look like death."

And with that word the air seemed to suck itself from our lungs and things were no longer light.

I guide my youngest sister to the bathroom prompting her to shower so that I could send her to bed. While she does so the rest of us have a meeting.

"If this camp is made for Demigods, how is she gonna go with us?"

"I'm not sure, but she's our sister and if they don't accept her then we don't stay. We'll keep running and fighting," I whisper.

Maya looks up at me with a frown and tears in her eyes. "Christian I don't wanna run anymore. I want to stay somewhere safe. I'm tired of fighting."

"I know that Maya, but we don't have a choice. We're demigods. We can't help this life. Monsters are everywhere and you don't have to worry, we'll always be by your side."

"But look what happened to mom," she whispers as tears flow down her face.

"Mom fought for us the best she could. She died our hero. If we die as a means of sacrifice for one another then I'm okay with that," I pulled her in close, "you know I will always fight and provide the best life I can give."

"And I'll fight too," my brother said.

I smiled as he moved in for a hug as well. I heard the shower turn off. Courtney came out wrapped in a towel, curly hair dripping all of the place. I sent Maya to shower and dressed Courtney in the clothes we would be wearing to leave tomorrow.

Our mom had always taught us to sleep in clothes that would be convenient to run in. So our family never believed in pajamas. I sat her in between my legs and braid her hair back into two French braids.

I had her stand and picked out any glass shards or splinters I could find. When I was done I tucked her into the bed. She was asleep instantly.

"Go to bed we have to leave early tomorrow," I said kissing her head.

"Do you ever think mom wasn't really who she said she was," I hear myself saying.

I glance at him waiting for a reply.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because before she- before I left she was in a headlock by a lycanthrope and before he could rip her neck out she convinced him to kill himself. Blaise it was the weirdest thing ever. Even though she wasn't talking to me I had a feeling that I should've followed her directions. I felt a voice in my head telling me to grab that silver rod and stab myself as well. It was weird. It was scary and terrifying."

"Do you think mom could be a demigod?"

I stared at him hard. Our whole life my mom made it seem as if she was regular and that the mist just didn't work on her.

"Blaise...if that's true Mom has been lying to us, but it'd explain so much."

"Like that time when she was able to persuade the giant that he was too tired to chase us another day. Or that time she convinced a school to forget the fact that we didn't have papers so that we could enroll," he says.

We stare at each other hard. We hear the shower cut off and we cease the conversation.

When maya comes out she's fully dressed. Cargo pants, a white tee and her sneakers tied tight. Her hair is pulled into a tight ponytail and her honey eyes are rimmed red from crying.

The bruise on her face looks worse. I grab the ointment and rub it in. Within a few minutes the bruise lessens. She crawls into the bed with Court.

"Blaise you go next. I'm gonna start plotting how we're going to get to New York."

He nods his head and goes into the bathroom. I pull a map from the back pack. We're in Gainesville Florida at the moment. I plot the best route for us to take but it's going to take days on foot. We'd more likely be killed then make it to our destination.

I sigh in frustration, because we don't have a car.

I pull at my curly hair for a second and release it. If we go to Jacksonville we'd have to travel on foot all day. I glance at my already achey feet and shrug. Oh well.

I leave our map out and lay my bow and arrows on the night stand. I start untying my shoes when I hear a knock at the door. I grab my knife from its holster on my ankle and creep toward the door. I peek through the peephole and see an older lady standing there.

I open it and smile tiredly.

"Hello?"

"Hi dear. I was wondering if you needed anything. I'm the cleaning service here at motel 8," she said in a friendly tone.

"No thank you. We don't need anything," I smile.

She smiles back with sharp pointy teeth. She flicks her forked tongue out and licks her lips. I try not to show on my face that I had seen anything weird.

Some monsters couldn't smell demigods if their smell was masked well enough. I was hoping this smelly room could do that for us.

"Alrighty then. I'll come back just in case later in the morning."

With that she turned around and left a tail swishing back and forth behind her. I close the door and release a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

We had to take turns standing guard I told my brother when he came out the shower. I explained to him the monster I had seen.

"I'll go first. I have to shower anyway. You get some sleep," I said after healing his cuts.

I go to the shower and wash dried blood and debris from my hair and body. I recap the events of today. I try to come to terms that our first home was obliterated and that our mom had died. Now that I was finally alone I willed for the tears to come, but I couldn't muster them.

I stood in the hot shower for a long time before I finally washed myself and stepped out.

Demigod life was hard.


	2. Hot Ride

FULL SUMMARY:  
Christian Tucker is a child of Apollo and her demigod mother at the age of 17. She's been fighting her whole life to protect her siblings from monsters. When her and her family finally settle down her mother is killed and she's left alone with her 3 siblings to make it to Camp Half-Blood. What they're all hoping to find there is peace, safety and family and the option to stop running. Upon arrival to CHB she gets more than what she bargained for and life gets more hectic as she falls for a certain Golden Boy and enters a weird love square and has a quest to complete for her father. Rated T-M slow burn

CHARACTERS AS MENTIONED:  
The Tucker's:  
Mary Tucker - Mother - child of Aphrodite- Deceased.  
Christian Tucker - 17 - daughter of Apollo and Mary.  
Blaise Tucker - 15 - son of Ares and Mary.  
Maya Tucker - 12 - daughter of Hephaestus and Mary.  
Courtney Tucker - 7 - mundane - daughter of Mary.

DISCLAIMER:  
This story belongs to Rick Riordan. I'm just borrowing his characters.

\-------------------------------------------

**Chapter 2: Hot Ride**

The next morning I'm waking up to Blaise telling me to wake up and let's go. I jump out of the bed fast. I can smell fire burning.

"What's going on!?"

"Monsters. They caught our scent," he says pulling on his shoes. Maya is tying Courtney's boots while I grab my bow and arrows and slide my knife into my combat boots.

When they're done Maya arms herself and Courtney has her dagger ready.

"We gotta go-"

As I'm telling my siblings to let's go a huge fireball crashes into the room next to ours. It knocks down the wall that connects our two rooms and it's burning everything fast.

"Come on," Blaise shouts. We're running out of the hotel room when a foot kicks me in my chest. The wind is knocked out of me and I fly back into a wall.

"Cyclops!"

I lay there disoriented for one second before I'm up on my feet again. I stumble for a bit as I get my bow ready and begin launching my own personal volley of arrows.

Blaise and Maya are battling one cyclops while I handle the second. Courtney is out of the way. She's using her childlike size to our advantage by weaving some celestial bronze rope, that Maya had created, between the two giants feet.

At the last second when the monsters realized they were going to be trapped I ran to her aid and pulled hard on the thin rope. They came crashing down.

Maya and Blaise were ready with their swords and beheaded both monsters. I grinned at Courtney with a huge smile.

"That was great!"

"Court that was amazing," Blaise added while Maya and her high fived one another.

The moment is interrupted by a roar in the distance.

"Time to go."

I scan the lot for a car to steal. Every car that was there was either obliterated or stomped on. The white Lexus was the only car that was standing so we hot wire and steal that one.

As we speed away in the rearview mirror I can spot a cyclops in the distance where the Motel 8 once stood.

The medallion is swinging back and forth from the rear view mirror. I hold it in my hand and feel ease course through my body. We made it out of there in one piece. My chest also hurt like hell, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't take.

"So where are we going?"

"Jacksonville. We have to stop and get something."

Blaise nodded. "From our old town?"

"Yea," I whisper.

"Mom's diary?"

I nod my head solemnly. Our mother had always told us that everything we ever needed to know would be in a diary she left in Jacksonville. We lived there at one point in time and she buried it in her "grave".

In the backseat Maya was twiddling and working on something while Courtney did "school" on the tablet that Maya had built for her so that she didn't miss out on her education.

I turned my eyes back to the road and we rode on in silence to Jacksonville.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

When we got to the city is was still plenty of light outside. The cemetery that we were going to was out in the open. Cars and pedestrians walked right by it. It was gonna be really hard to dig up a grave without being noticed.

I parked the car and we all got out.

"Maya stay in the car with Courtney. I don't want her to see this."

"Ugh! She's seen other stuff, why does this matter?!"

"Because I said so. Now stay in the car," I said in a commanding tone.

The 12 year old rolled her eyes but sat back in the car anyway.

I rolled my eyes too before walking into the cemetery. Blaise and I searching the tombstones for our mother's name.

"There!" Blaise is pointing at a headstone with a carving of two doves on it.

The name Mary Leanne Tucker stood out etched in the grey cement block.

"Caring Mother, loving daughter and courageous warrior. February 14th, 1980 to July 1st, 2015," Blaise read aloud. "How- how could it have the right date?"

I shake my head.

"Why does mom have a grave anyways!? This is stupid. It doesn't make sense." Blaise looks distressed.

I place my hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. We need to dig up what we need and get our asses out of here," I say calmly.

He nods solemnly and I reach into the book bag and pull out a shovel.

"Tell me if you see anyone coming."

He nods and I start digging. I'm not even halfway deep when I hear police sirens going off.

"Christian we gotta go!"

"But the diary!"

He looks at me momentarily then nods his head. I see him run towards the parked car. Maya gets out with Courtney and he gets behind the wheel of the car and drives it off the lot. He swerves into the oncoming traffic at an illegal speed and the police cars chase him instead of coming into the cemetery.

I go back to digging. My muscles are burning but I put in extra work this time. I could hear sirens wailing in the distance and more police cars coming by.

"Here," Maya pushed me aside and threw something into the 3 foot hole I had managed to dig.

She yanked my arm and I followed her, running the opposite way of the hole. Within a few seconds I heard a boom and we were flying before crashing into the ground.

"Ooww," I groaned.

"Get up," Maya is saying as she tugs me upward. I groan again. That fall awoke the pain in my chest.

I stand and we run back to the hole that is now the size of a small crater. There in the center is a golden box. I slide down into the hole and snatch the box up. It's heavy and hot from the explosion. I give it to Maya who can withstand the heat.

"C'mon!"

We jog to the parking lot where Courtney is standing. She looks distraught.

"We need Blaise to get back here," Maya says.

I nod my head.

"Maya does Courtney's tablet have a Bluetooth signal? Like a way to access the Bluetooth in the car?"

Maya's eyes light up and she grabs the tablet typing furiously onto its keys. I hear a voice pop up on the screen.

"Blaise," I yell.

"Woah! How'd you guys- Maya you're a genius," he yells back.

"Thank you."

"Blaise you need to get back here we have the box."

"Well there's a problem. I think I have half the city's police squad on my ass and a helicopter overhead for a news crew."

I curse under my breath.

"Okay listen come back we'll figure out a way to get going. Drive back fast," I tell him.

"Don't worry I'm there." As he says that the call ends and he's there screeching to a halt in front of us. Police cars are about 300 yards away.

He gets out and he's grinning hard. I shake my head and get into the car, everyone else following. I stomp my foot on the gas and we're going.

"I can't believe we're in a police chase," Maya says.

"We need to go faster," I say looking for controls. There's a button I hadn't noticed before with a sun shaped symbol on it. I close my eyes and silently pray.

"Christian this really isn't the time to be sleeping," Blaise says nervously. I open them and tell everyone to put on their seat belts. When I hear the clicks I press the button and we're shooting forward at a speed I wasn't sure a car could even go.

/-/-/-/-

By the time the car stops I'm dry heaving.

When my breathing is under control I turn around and check for all of my siblings. They're all flushed in the face and breathing hard.

"Where are we," Courtney asks.

I check the GPS. Long Island, New York is the location it flashes.

"Guys we made it to Long Island," I whisper shocked.

"Woah," they all whisper.

I stare at the dashboard and check our surroundings. We're parked near the Empire State Building. We all get out of the car to stare at it in amazement. There are people walking on the sidewalk looking at us without a second look. I guess people that were bruised and dirty wasnt unnatural for them.

"We should find the camp," Blaise says snapping us out of our awe.

I nod my head and we all head back into the car.

Getting into New York traffic was the worst thing ever. I couldn't fathom why the streets were so busy.

By the time we're out of traffic the sun has gone down and it's getting dark outside and we're driving on a road lined with trees. We continue driving in silence when Maya breaks the silence.

"Do we even know where we're going?"

I don't want to tell them that I'm lost, so I lie.

"Yeah," I say racking my brain for any hints my mom might have dropped, "mom said we'd have to find half blood hill."

The car falls silent and then Courtney speaks up.

"A hill like that one," she says pointing to our left.

I turn my head and sure enough the hill was there.

"Yes Court. Like that one."

We drive to the side of the road and get out. I stick our mother's diary into the backpack. We all get together and stare at the car that saved us from possibly be taken to jail and cyclops. We start walking towards the hill using the moonlight as a means of light.

I curse under my breath when I remember the medallion.

"Hold on. I forgot something in the car," I tell them before running back.

I open the car door and take the medallion off the mirror. I jog back to where my siblings were.

I show them the medallion. Blaise scoffs while Maya rolls her eyes.

I put it around my neck and feel ease spread through my body. With a nod we start our trek.

-/-/-/-/

When we get close to the hill we see a tall white pine then a noise in the distance.

We stop and look behind us. There's only the sound of growling and the sound of something big running towards us.

"Come on!"

We pick up our speed running up the hill as fast as we can.

The hill is a little slippery and Courtney keeps losing her grip on the grass.

I grip her forearm and pull her up as we ascend the hill. The sounds of our pursuers are getting louder.

We make it over the hill and the entrance is there. A huge sign saying CAMP HALF-BLOOD hung over the two tall pillars.

Blaise runs through first and Maya follows. I urge Courtney to go in after them but she runs smack dab into a wall. It looked as if she had run into a clear wall.

She looked back at me with terror in her eyes and I know my face reciprocated that same terror. The two that had already made it in turned around.

"What's wrong?!"

"She's not a demigod," I yell, "go in, find someone that can help."

Blaise nods his head and they both start running. I push Courtney behind me and pull out my bow and place an arrow in its notch.

I stand there silently waiting and listening for an attack. I feel Courtney's hand grip my shirt tight.

"Arm yourself," I whisper to her.

My heart is beating radically and I'm regretting not applying a salve to my bruised chest.

Nothing comes and suddenly it's there. A Minotaur.

I stare in terror as the hairy beast runs my way. At the last second I dodge to the left, grabbing Courtney with me. The monster runs into the force field and is knocked down. I run to the tree with Courtney, urging her to climb high into its branches.

The Minotaur is on its feet charging in my direction and I decide dodging isn't going to help me win, but fighting would.

I release an arrow and it sails and lands in its right thigh. That doesn't stop his pursuit. I launch another into his shin and another in his stomach. They also do nothing. I glance behind me and see my sister is up high. I turn back to face the monster and he's close now, I dodge left again and he stops himself before he runs into the tree.

Before I can get up he's grabbing me by neck and my legs are no longer on the floor. I stare at the animal head and notice a missing horn. I move to grab the other one, but it seems the bull knows all too well what I wanted to do. The grip on my neck tightens and I hear a faint scream from above.

I reach for the knife in my boot, but my body won't move. There are spots dancing in front of my eyes and I feel the urge to close them.

I try to pry the fingers from my throat but he's too strong. A sob racks through my body and I thrash my body around. The medallion around my neck is swinging and I grab ahold of it. Strength surges through my body and I think I begin to glow.

The Minotaurs eyes grow wide and I lunge for my knife burying it deep in its neck. The grip from my neck doesn't cease, however, it tightens. As I watch him slowly disintegrate I start to believe I will too.

I black out as my limp body hits the floor and the faint sound of my name being yelled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos!!!! I hope everything makes sense and if it doesn't it will in chapter 3!!!
> 
> Also sorry for any smelling mistakes! I try to spot them, but sometimes they elude me.


	3. Camp Half-Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHARACTERS AS MENTIONED:  
> The Tucker's:  
> Mary Tucker - Mother - child of Aphrodite- Deceased.  
> Christian Tucker - 17 - daughter of Apollo and Mary.  
> Blaise Tucker - 15 - son of Ares and Mary.  
> Maya Tucker - 12 - daughter of Hephaestus and Mary.  
> Courtney Tucker - 7 - mundane - daughter of Mary.  
> The Grace's:  
> Jason Grace - 19 - Son of Jupiter  
> The Jackson's:  
> Percy Jackson - 20 - Son of Poseidon  
> Apollo cabin:  
> Will Solace - 21  
> Cody - 17  
> Kayla- 18

**CHAPTER 3: Camp Half-Blood**

When I wake up I'm screaming. I swing my legs off of the bed and begin fighting the person trying to hold me down.

"No," I yell. My throat hurts a lot.

I can't think straight. Where's Courtney? Did Blaise and Maya make it in safe? Where's the Minotaur?

The blonde in front of me is trying not to hurt me while we fight. His hits aren't really hits. He's more trying to subdue me then fight me, actually.

"Christian," I hear a little voice yell. I recognize it as Courtney.

I cease fighting and turn in the direction I hear her. She's standing there in an orange shirt, her face is clean, and her hair has been braided back into two ponytails that hang by her shoulders.

I fall onto my knees and crawl to her, grabbing her and pulling her to my chest. I don't realize I'm crying until she start wiping the tears from my face.

"I thought I had lost you. I thought I failed you guys. I thought we were done for-"

"Shh," she whispers. "It's okay Christian. You did it. We made it." 

I caress her face and look into her brown eyes and hug her tight again. I wipe my tears away and stand up.

The blond I had just fought was standing there awkwardly turned away from the scene Courtney and I had shared.

I clear my throat. He turns on his heel and smiles even more awkwardly.

"Umm. I'm sorry about that," I whisper, "I'm not sure what took over me."

He smiles genuinely now and extends a hand that has weird tattoos on it for me to shake.

"It's okay. You fell unconscious in battle it only makes sense for you to wake up that way."

I shake the hand.

"I'm Jason Grace, by the way."

I nod my head. "Christian Tucker."

We let go of each other's hands and he begins telling me that I could shower here in the Big House and that he would be waiting for me on the porch.

When Courtney and Jason have gone I slump on the bed and breathe deeply.

We made it.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

When I come out of the house, Jason is sitting in a chair around a table with a man in a wheelchair, another man in a pretty hipster looking Hawaiian shirt and a boy with horns growing from his curly mop of hair.

Jason's eyes catch my own and he smiles.

"Christian come over here," he says pulling up a chair to their table.

I sit in it and look each person in their face. My mom always taught me that establishing authority was always important when meeting new people.

The man in the wheelchair has kind eyes. The satyr, that I thought was a boy, has wise but young eyes. When I look into the eyes of the Hawaiian shirt guy I feel insanity grip the edges of my mind. I immediately release the stare.

"How'd you get here little girl," the shirt guy says.

"Dionysus. You're being rude again," says the wheelchair guy.

He shrugs his shoulders indifferently.

"My mother sent me," I say.

"Who's your mother," said the wheelchair man, "I'm being very rude. Let me introduce everyone. I am Chiron. This here is Dionysus, Grover the Satyr and Jason Grace son of Zeus."

"Jupiter."

"Jupiter," Chiron says.

I nod my head slowly before I answer.

"My mother is- was Mary Tucker."

"I knew her," Chiron whispers.

"You knew my mother?!" Im feeling both excited and dreadful.

He nods.

"Can someone explain what's going on here, just a little," I ask.

"Well, Christian, you're a demigod and this camp is made for people like you. Half humans half gods. In your case a little more godly than human."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're mother, Mary, was a demigod as well. One of the most talented Charmspeakers that the Aphrodite cabin has ever had."

I feel my brain working overtime.

"Charmspeakers?"

"The ability to persuade people into doing things with your words. A skill only a few children of Aphrodite can accomplish," he explains.

I grab my head now as I begin thinking about the day my mother died and a look of worry crosses Grover's face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I whisper.

The table falls silent then Jason speaks up.

"I'll take her and show her around camp."

We leave the table and begin walking away from the Big House. I can feel my wet curly hair slapping against my neck when Jason says something.

"What do you know about your life?"

I look into his blue eyes and see that he's being genuine.

"I-Im a demigod."

"Have you always known?"

I shake my head. My mother never said a thing to us about our godliness. It was something that I happened to pick up on when I was in school and Greek mythology was being taught. The monsters that had been haunting my family were being taught in the classroom as mythological. When the teacher began explaining these stories of the great demigods that slayed these monsters I knew that my siblings and I were one of them.

It explained my ability to use the bow and arrow so well without being taught or how well I was with medicine and herbs. It helped me understand why Maya was so great at tinkering and why Blaise was great in combat and could get a group of people to fight along side of him.

"So you found out yourself," Jason asked.

I nod.

"It was weird when I brought the idea up to her."

She cried and cried. She said that my realization would mean more monsters and more running. And sure enough that's what we did. We ran more. We fought more.

"So do you know who you're godly parent is?"

I nod.

"I'm pretty sure it's Apollo. My brother, Blaise, is a son of Ares and my sister, Maya, is the daughter of Hephaestus."

"What about Courtney?"

"She's mundane."

"Really? How do you know," he asks.

"We lived with her father for a time. I think he was a demigod too. He was an Apollo kid too, I think. He was the one that helped me refine my healing skills. I guess she's godly but not godly enough to get through the force field here. It's a little weird though. She can see things just as clearly as we do, that other people can't," I explain.

He nods. "She can see through the mist."

"Mist?"

"It's like magic, I guess. It's a coverup for all things mortals can't handle. It manipulates what they see. Instead of seeing teenaged kids holding swords, they probably see us waving guns around. It helps to make demigods lives easier."

I nod my head slowly because neither of those sounds good.

"So you didn't know you're mom was a demigod?"

I shake my head.

My mom had always acted pretty normal when we weren't running. She did normal things like being a mom and going out and putting on makeup. We never saw her do any "magical" things except a few times.

"Like when?"

"There were a lot of times but the most shocking one is from the day she died."

He stops in his tracks and looks at me.

"I'm sorry."

I shrug my shoulders.

"Life happens. It was that or become a lycanthrope. But anyways she told the werewolf to kill himself and he did. He picked up a silver rod and stabbed himself through the heart."

I shudder. "It all makes sense now. She's the daughter of Aphrodite. It was all really strange. My mom had always kept her cool. Now that I think back I can't remember my mom ever fighting. She would tell us to run and we would and when she'd catch up to us she was bruised but weaponless. There was a time she convinced a giant to stop chasing us. We saw a lot of weird things."

"I think it's amazing that you got you and your siblings here. You had a nasty bruise spreading on your chest."

I feel my face flush, but my dark skin prevents it from showing. I think he notices my discomfort.

"Not that I actually saw your like-you know- chest area. Will told me about it," he stammers red in the face.

I fidget at the idea that two boys talked about my chest and I think he notices his blunder.

He straightens up. "I had to know because I offered to watch you while you slept and feed you ambrosia. Not because we're pervs or anything like that."

I can't help but laugh at his display at trying to gain control of the situation. He looks down at me and cracks a smile as well.

By the time I notice where we've walked to we're in the center of the camp.

"Let me show you your cabin."

I follow him to a cabin that appeared like any other cabin I had seen on television. Two golden pillars stood near the double doors, a lyre symbol was above the door and the sound of music could be heard radiating from inside.

When the clouds parted and the sun hit the cabin it glowed. I realized the cabin was made of solid gold.

"This is Cabin 7," Jason said.

The door opened and there was a blond standing in the doorway. He had blue eyes and shaggy blond hair that fell into his eyes and a silly grin on his face. He was wearing scrubs like that of nurses.

"And that's Will-"

"Will Solace," the blond named Will said with his hand extended to me. "I'm head of the Apollo cabin and head at the infirmary. What's your name?"

The radiating smile on his face was welcoming and I smiled too.

"I'm Christian Tucker."

"Well Christian it's going to be amazing having you in the Apollo cabin. I have to head to the infirmary. I'll see you at dinner tonight."

After that he left.

"We can finish the tour later if you want to-"

I cut Jason off. "We can finish."

He smiled and it was then that I noticed the scar on his lip. It was oddly beautiful.

"So tell me about you," I say.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. You're the child of Zeus-Jupiter, right? Do you fly around like superman but blonder?"

He begins laughing. I smile a little at the fact that I said something amusing.

"It's just Jupiter. He's the roman version of Zeus but that's a whole 'nother history lesson. But yeah I guess I do fly around. I can summon the winds," he says creating a small tornado in his hand, "storms and lightning every once in a while." He says while floating around me.

"Wow. I don't do anything like that," I laugh.

"It doesn't always just show up. With practice or under some serious pressure they reveal themselves. You'll get there don't worry. I'm pretty sure you'll excel out here at CHB. I'll personally make sure of it."

I nod my head and feel my face grow warmer at his kindness.

"You're glowing."

I snap my eyes at his face. "Huh."

"Like just now you were glowing. Why?"

"I was 'blushing'."

He lifts an eyebrow and we continue our walk. He shows me the showers and the dining area, and all sorts of different spots around the camp. The amphitheater and archery range being my two favorites.

"So do you sing?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I haven't in a few years."

"Why's that?"

"I didn't have much to sing for. I wasn't happy so I didn't sing."

He nods his head and we end up back by the cabins. I see a cabin that reminds me of Jason and asks if that's where he and his siblings live.

"No it's just me. I do have a sister but she's with Artemis. I live alone."

When I asked why he began explaining about the Big Three and the promise they had made to not have kids.

Him talking about his lack of siblings reminded me of my own.

"Jason where are my brother and sisters?"

"Your brother is with the Ares cabin and your sister Hephaestus. Upon arrival they were claimed."

"What about my youngest sister? She doesn't have a godly parent. She's only 7 there's no where for her to go."

"Usually demigods who aren't claimed go to the Hermes cabin, but your sister isn't a demigod."

"She needs to be with me," I say firmly.

"That's not possible."

"Why?!"

"She can't stay in the other cabins. The cabins are meant for children of that god," he says.

I glare at him feeling my anger slowly boil.

"Well that's okay. I guess we'll be leaving to a place where they don't separate little girls from their caretakers." With that I walk away to go find my little sister.

I find her walking around with a guy that introduced himself as Pollux. He was making the strawberries grow.

Courtney was walking with him talking to the plants and trying to coax them to grow.

"Come on," she whispers, "grow for me so you can get big and strong so that you can feed the campers, like me!" She's smiling at the plant lovingly. For a split second I think my eyes deceive me because it does appear to grow just a little.

When she's done she spots me and gives me a giant hug.

"Pollux is showing me how to grow the plants," she says ecstatically.

I smile at her and the worry I had earlier about her being anywhere but under me subsides. I rub her back in circles a few times before she's urging me to sit and talk to one of the plants.

I try for an hour to coax it into growing a little but it doesn't. Courtney laughs and tells me I'm a bad talker.

Between the time spent walking around with Jason and time spent in the strawberry field it had gotten dark outside. Courtney and I walk to the bathrooms and wash our hands off. I help her clean under her nails and get the dirt debris from her face.

When we walk into the dining pavilion everyone is already seated. Courtney leads me to where Chiron is. He's now a centaur, with the body of a white stallion. He smiles at us as we approach. A girl is at the table with him. She has red hair and a freckled face. There are paint splatters on her orange camp T-shirt.

Courtney plants herself next to the redhead.

"Christian this is Rachel," Courtney says.

Rachel and I shake hands. I sit at the table and turn to Chiron.

"Chiron, I'm worried about Courtney," I whisper.

He frowns. "Why would you be worried?"

"Because she's not a full on demigod. Where would she stay?"

"I thought it'd be good for her to stay in the big house. She'd have her own room and she'd be under the supervision of Dionysus, Rachel and I. Demigod or not she's too godly to be in the mortal world and too young, might I add, to be on her own. But primarily it is up to you."

"So she'd be safe? And it's better than the Hermes cabin," I said throwing a glance at the table of kids that were engaging in a mini food fight.

Chiron laughs. "Yes much better than."

I smile lightly. "Okay then. I can agree, but I want to be able to check on her when I see fit."

"That's fair enough," he says with a nod.

"Thank you so much Chiron."

"You're welcome."

I get up from the table and follow the sound of Will calling my name and beckoning me over to sit.

The Apollo table has about 8 kids including me. They welcome me cheerily and I sorta feel at home with these rhyming, sing-songy kids.

Before I eat Will tells me it's custom to give an offering to the gods. I pick up my plate that's filled with my favorite foods and scrape some food into the fire. The smell that wafts up my nose reminds me of summer time and when my mom would cut up pineapple slices and serve us lemonade on the porch that had belonged to her grandfather.

I send a silent thank you to my father who I'm pretty sure sent the car for us.

I walk back and eat as much as I can off of my plate.

"Usually we go to the amphitheater and sing songs around a campfire but today is capture the flag," Kayla whispers in my ear excitedly.

Capture the flag was an easy game to play. I didn't understand what the excitement was about.

I watch as Jason and a dark haired boy stand up on a table.

"Percy and I-"

"Yes I like how you said my name first," the guy named Percy says. Jason rolls his eyes.

"Jason, which is me, and the water boy over there will be team captains for this game of Capture the flag."

The different cabins erupt in cheers especially the Ares cabin where I can spot my brother. He smiles at me and I smile back.

Jason turns to Percy. "Ladies first." I smirk at the gesture Jason makes.

"I want the Ares cabin."

"Touché. I'll have the Hephaestus cabin."

They go back and forth until we're all on teams. Jason leads cabin Hephaestus, Apollo, Nike, Hecate, Demeter, Aphrodite and Dionysus. Percy has the Athena, Hermes, Hades, Hypnos, Iris, Hebe and Tyche cabins.

We split into the groups. Jason explains to us his plan. A girl with a feather in her head is glued to his side. I figure that's his girlfriend.

They whisper to each other and he modifies the plan. I get put on guard duty up high protecting the flag with another one of my half siblings. He's super nervous.

"I'm not that good at archery. They know that. I don't understand why they put me up here," he says.

I try soothing him with a few jokes but he's right back to nerves as soon as the games begin.

I'm wearing a helmet that has white plumes on it. The armor I'm wearing is way to heavy so I shed it, only keeping the helmet and breastplate on.

I have my arrow ready to take down anyone that comes by. I hear people before I see them. The Ares cabin is charging our way and I begin picking them down. I'm not really sure if maiming is a thing out here so I try to scare them off at first.

When knocking they're helmets off or knocking they're swords out of their hands wasn't working, I started aiming to hurt them. A few of them are smart and retreat.

The nervous kid, Cody, is back by my side. "That was amazing. You really know how to use the bow, sis!"

"I thought all Apollo kids were good at it?"

"No," he says with a look like 'I wish'. "It's like dancing. All Apollo kids can do it, it doesn't mean they're great at it. I'm barely average. Now you, you're amazing. You didn't miss a single shot."

I nod my head and I feel myself blushing.

"You're glowing again."

I jump at the voice and have my arrow ready to be released at their chest.

It's Jason. He has his hands up in the air and a smirk on his face.

I release the arrow slowly.

"I just came to help you guys protect the flag. I know Percy is gonna try something crazy."

He smiles at me and I feel bad. The first being because I was going to release an arrow in his chest and secondly for my rash behavior earlier. And not to mention trying to kill him this morning.

"Umm. Jason?"

"Yeah."

"I just wanted to apologize for getting mad earlier, when you gave me the tour. I didn't mean to snap. I just get sensitive about my little brother and sisters," I say sheepishly.

He cracks a bright smile and plants his hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay. I'd probably be the same with my sister if she would let me. No hard feelings about it. You're doing what you think is right."

"Thanks."

"No problem. You ready for this," he asks facing the clearing.

I nod my head and turn back to face the same way. As if right on cue I hear water rushing towards us and the smell of seawater. In the distance a huge tidal wave was heading straight for us. Percy with about 6 other campers, riding a wave headed straight for us.

"He's got his best fighters up there," Jason says with a smirk.

Cody groans. "How are we gonna win when you only have 3 of us here and only you two stand a chance?!" He's shaking while trying to get his bow ready.

"That's okay. We've got this," Jason says begin to float upwards. "Christian take out as many as you can. I'll handle Percy. Cody guard the flag."

I nod my head and nock an arrow that would explode. I aim it to fly next to the head of one of the campers. I set the bomb on and release the arrow. It explodes to the left of the camper and the explosion throws them off the wave.

Cody pumps his fist. I nock more arrows and begin picking off the campers. They're really close to us and Jason and Percy are fighting.  
I can see fists connecting and heads butting. At one point Percy knocks Jason down with a wave of water but Jason comes back strong with a lightning bolt.

They've created a huge storm with rain and lightning and super strong winds. My arrows keep getting lost within the melee.

The two campers that are still riding jump off the wave and are charging Cody and I.

"Protect the flag!" I release an arrow and it impales the one guy in his thigh. He falls to the ground and I turn to take care of the other person when I'm knocked down. I throw my bow aside and dodge a hit that would've left my face bruised. I stand back up and engage in hand to hand combat.

It's Blaise I'm fighting. There's a glow in his eyes and I smirk.

"You think you're gonna win," I huff dodging a hit.

"Of course. I'm bigger than you now," he retorts.

I throw myself at him and use all my weight to bring him down on the floor. When I'm on top of him I pull my knife from my boot and line it up to his throat.

There's a scowl on his face and a smirk on mine.

"Maybe next time little brother," I laugh getting up off of him and giving him to Cody to tie up with the other guy. I start healing his wounded thigh when Jason flies back with a tied up Percy and a bright sea green flag.

Percy is glaring at Jason while we celebrate. The walk back to the amphitheater is full of cheering, energetic faces and pats on my back.

"The things you did with that bow were amazing," Cody kept saying. He was telling everyone how cool it was. All the attention was making me blush.

As I was beginning to learn "blushing" caused me to glow.

Jason's arm was around my neck as he retold to everyone how I single handedly took out Percy's team. Percy vouches and they're laughing.

When we get to the amphitheater some of the Apollo kids have started singing a song while Will starts healing some campers with bad injuries. I go and help him.

"I heard about what you did out there," Will says clapping me on the back. I smile a little and bandage someone up.

"I didn't even really do anything. I just shot some arrows." That was normal.

"Arrows that connected with each target from what I heard. That's good."

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm not used to people giving me attention like this."

Will nods his head as he watches me bandage another camper.

"But it's nice," I say smiling at him.

He smiles back at me and a boy with slightly tanned skin and black, long shaggy hair strolls up to us. He's wearing a black aviator jacket over his orange Camp Half-Blood.

He and Will kiss and I'm introduced to Nico.

He smiles at me and I smile back.

"Will, we're all going to my cabin to hang out before the harpies start patrolling. You coming now?"

"Yup. I think I'm all done here," he says giving someone some ambrosia.

I feel awkward now because I'm not sure if I was invited to this get together. I feel my face get hot and Nico gives me an odd smirk.

"You're glowing."

"Yea," I laugh, "it's been happening a lot lately."

"Do you want to come with us? I want to hear about your story and I'm pretty sure the others do too," he says.

"Umm...yeah. I want to come."

He smiles as he leads me to his cabin. When we arrive his cabin is dark and gothic looking. The door is scary enough to make me feel like agreeing to come was a mistake.

"It's only really scary the first time," Will whispers in my ear.

I crack a smile at his reassurance. When we enter through the door there are a handful of kids in the room.

"I brought the party," Will says with a huge smile and his hands in the air.

Nico shoves him. "It's not a party."

"When you have the kids of the Big Three in one place, it's a party."

Everyone laughs. I stand by the door looking at everyone. I make eye contact with Jason and he smiles big at me.

"Guys! Have you met Christian?!" He throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in to his side. I can feel all of his muscles flexing against me.

I already know I'm glowing before anyone points it out. Im introduced to everyone.

A Latino named Leo, his girlfriend Calypso, the girl with the feather was Piper, and Rachel again.

Someone offers me something to drink and before I know it I'm being asked a million questions.

"Where are you from?"

"How did you get here?"

"Do you really have half siblings with different godly parents but same mom?"

So I begin explaining that I'm from Florida and that I came here in a car that traveled at the speed of light and yes my brother and sister were my half siblings by godliness.

"How does that even happen," Percy questions.

I shrug my shoulders.

"It's rare to get two siblings from the same god, but for your mom to be a demigod and she have 3 kids with 3 different gods is pretty rare. I think you guys are the only I've ever heard about," Nico says.

"The real question everyone wants to know is how did you get so good at archery if you've never had training?" Will asks one hand around Nico.

I shrug again and smile.

"I don't know. When I was about 6 my mom gave me a bow and some arrows. She said healing wasn't gonna protect me from danger," I say.

"So she gave it to you and you were a natural?" Percy asks.

"No, of course not," I laugh. "I was horrible at first. It took time and practice. It wasn't like it was handed to me and all of a sudden the heavens parted and I was bestowed a gift. I practiced and by the time I was 10 I could shoot without missing my target."

"So no one taught you?"

I shake my head no. "There was no one to teach me. My mom wasn't really a fighter either. She was girly and she only turned warrior-like when we were running or fighting. Other than teaching us to protect ourselves she aimed to give us a normal life. Like going to school and playing sports. Things like that."

"You're mom did a good job."

"Yeah. She did. She tried her hardest to ensure that we survived," I whisper.

"Regardless you have great aim and now you're at camp, you don't have to protect yourself alone anymore. We may be a camp of half siblings and cousins but we're a little more than that. We're friends and as corny as this is gonna sound, we're a family," Percy says.

Piper initiates a group hug and Will makes sure I'm in the middle of it. I really believed in what Percy said. We were a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always imagined Will to be about two years older than Percy. So in this fic he's about 21 and Nico is of age. I know that probably doesn't add up but I've never thought the age difference between Percy and Nico was huge. Anyways just to reiterate:  
> Percy is 20. Jason is 19. Nico is 18. Will is 21 maybe 22. Okay, Thank you for sticking around for this story<3


	4. The Diary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if I'm good at the angst-y stuff but I think it was great. Thank you iiammemyselfandi for the comment!!!! You made my day<3 and I know I updated like two days ago but I couldn't resist posting. Enjoy:)

**CHAPTER 4: The Diary**

"Maya," I yell as a bird starts pulling at my hair.

She's laughing at me with Courtney beside her. Her stupid mechanical bird has been bothering me all morning. When I was learning greek earlier today, when I was in training and now as I stomped to the strawberry field to find her.

"Maya make it stop. Every time I fix my hair it's back pulling the strands out!"

Maya laughs some more before she makes it stops. The bronze bird flew into her hands and powered down.

I huff a thank you and head back to my cabin. No one is in the room and I'm thankful for it. I open the back pack my mom left for us and I see the diary we had dug up.

For the past two weeks I've been spending time with Piper, Nico and Jason trying to get better understanding of who I was.

When I brought up the diary to Piper she told me that it was normal for Aphrodite kids to keep one, but the grave thing was odd.

"Graves are not Aphrodite what so ever," she said while trying to nock an arrow. "That's strange. You should talk to Nico." I adjust her bow for her then leave.

I went to Nico cause only he could give me some insight.

"It's definitely magical, but you said you dug up the grave and there was no body?"

I nod.

He scowls.

"Well, what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure. If you say you're mom died and the grave had the right date then she should be dead. The tombstone is connected to her and the dates would be accurate," he explains. "But with graves like that her body should've materialized there the moment she passed away."

I chew my lips as I listen to him. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look at Nico's dark reassuring eyes.

"I'm not the best at advice and such but you should talk to Jason. I know he can help you if you're feeling lost."

I nod and lean in for a hug that the the dark haired boy gives before I find Jason, who's ending a class.

I was greeted with a huge smile.

"What's going on?"

I give him a rundown of my dilemma.

"Christian you should read the diary. Stop trying to avoid it. Maybe it'll help you learn some things and cope with you're mother's death and this new life."

I frown. I wasn't trying to avoid it. The thought of opening my mom's diary felt scary. I was terrified of what I might find. I was scared to further damage the image of her that I knew. I voice this to Jason.

"The truth hurts sometimes Christian, but you owe it to yourself and your siblings to know the truth. Don't you think?"

"Yea. We do."

He smiles and hugs me. "Go open that diary."

Of course I didn't open it. I waited and now here I was sitting in my bed, alone, with a diary.

I unlocked the golden heart shaped lock. And opened to the front page. My mother's name was written in loopy, cursive handwriting.

 

_July 13th, 1993_

_Dear Diary,_

_My mom claimed me today._

_I was yet again trying to prove myself to Bret in the Hermes cabin. I told him that I could make people do things just by telling them and he wanted me to do it to him...I didn't tell him that I had never tried it on people...only animals. He said that if I didn't make it happen I was going to be scrubbing toilets for weeks._

_I couldn't have that! I'm too pretty to scrub toilets so I made it happen._

_I don't know how I managed but I made him draw a mustache and devil horns on Lacy's face. Lacy is the meanest daughter in the Ares cabin. When she woke up she sure did do a number on him. I think my mom must've been pleased because she claimed me today at dinner in front of everyone._

_Of course Chiron scolded me for what I did. He said using my Gift for silly challenges was immature._

_I really couldn't care however. I was finally out of the stupid Hermes cabin! Aphrodite was such a better place._

_I have to go. My siblings want to braid hair! Love with all my heart,_

_Maria_

 

When I finish the first entry I'm laughing. My mom at 13 reminds me of Maya. I continue reading until I've read my mother's whole diary. I miss lunch and my classes.

My eyes can't stop reading each line and sucking up the new information. I cry a lot and sometimes I'm laughing. My mom reminds me of myself.

When I read the last entry about me being born I close the book. Everything was explained. The weird grave, why we were always on the run, why my mother didn't tell us about our lineage sooner. My heart grew heavy as I thought about Aphrodite. She was a wicked god that had caused my mom so much misery. I wondered how Piper was okay with her mom's obvious mistreatment of her kids and the way she meddles in their lives.

I grab my medallion and run my thumb over it. It brings me comfort. I close the diary and stick it back into the back pack.

I leave the room to find Jason. He's down by the arena dueling it out with Percy. I watch as the two shirtless boys go head to head.

The sound of imperial gold on celestial bronze and their grunts fill the arena.

Jason has the upper hand. He disarmed Percy and I think the fight is over but Percy charges Jason and they're both on the ground.

Percy snatches the sword from Jason and presses the blunt side to Jason's throat.

"I win."

He gets up off of Jason and helps him up. The two boys spot me and wave me over. Percy's green eyes are glowing bright from winning. His black hair soaked in sweat and pushed out of his face. They smile at me.

It was the end of summer everyone was going to school so the camp was emptying out.

"Hey guys!"

They say hi to me and Percy leans in for a hug and I straight arm him.

"No, you're sweaty" I say, pushing his sweaty body away from me. He laughs.

"What's going on," Jason asks.

"I read the diary."

"Are you okay? Do you feel better?"

I shrug. "Yeah I think so. I don't feel confused or unsure of who I am anymore," I say.

"That's good," Percy says. "You deserve to know about your mother and that's what you did. Half the battle of being a demigod is accepting that you are one."

I stare at Percy with a look of total shock on my face. Jason did as well.

"What?!"

"When did you become so wise," Jason says.

He shrugs. "I'm 20 years old. I think I'm allowed to sound smart sometimes. Plus I think the wisdom thing is coming from my incoming beard. Look!" He lifts his chin up and I see two strands of dark colored hair. I start laughing.

"And now you're back to being seaweed brain."

"Soooo," I say, "everyone is leaving. Are you guys gonna go too?"

"Yeah. In about 3 weeks college in New Rome is starting up and Percy and I will be there," Jason says as he leads us into shade.

We all take a seat on a bench.

"What are you gonna do, Christian?"

"Umm I'm not sure. Chiron is thinking about sending my siblings to a school somewhere near Canada. A boarding school for boys and girls so that they can look after each other. So I guess I have time to go to college."

"You could always go to New Rome," Percy says. "They'll work with your ADHD and everything if you need it and you can live there and basically become anything you want."

"Like a teacher or a doctor?"

"Yeah. New Rome is the mortal world equivalent for demigods. They've got families and schools for the kids. So if you don't want your siblings to go, you could always go there with them."

"I want to go."

"Then come with us. We'll look after you."

I smile at them and then I frown. I don't have any money and then I remember the book bag and I jump up.

"Have I ever told you guys about my magic book bag," I say with a mischievous smile on my face.

They both shake they're heads no. I beckon them over and lead them to the Apollo cabin. Will is in there with Nico when we arrive. They're looking over a book with their faces screwed up in concentration.

"Hi guys," I say walking to my bed.

"Christian do you have horse fly wings?"

I give Will a crazy look. "What would you need with horse fly wings?"

I'm pulling the bag from under my bed while Percy and Jason make themselves comfortable on it.

"Nico and I are trying to make this thing and we just need to know if you have horse fly wings or not," he says exasperated. "So do you or do you not?"

I roll my eyes and stick my hand in the bag thinking about horse fly wings. A jar appears in my hands and I pull it out and hand it to Will.

"How did you do that?"

"I think what I want and pull it out. My mom gave it to me," I say smiling.

"Oh my gods! See if you can pull out a plate of blue cookies like my mom makes them," Percy says. I give him a skeptical look and stick my hand in the bag.

I feel around and a plate appears in my hand. I hand it to Percy.

"Bro," he and Jason say at the same time.

"They really do taste like your mom's cookies," Jason says.

Nico and Will come over and we all eat the cookies together. I ask them both what they're doing after summer ends.

"I'm going to California but not New Rome. I got a scholarship with UCLA so I'm finishing my last year there so I can go to medical school," Will states with a cookie in hand.

Nico steals the rest of Will's cookie before talking.

"I'm going to the Highschool in New Rome. I have to finish my Senior year."

I nod my head. "I want to go to California with you guys. It sounds like a good place to go."

"It is," Will exclaims. "The air is clean, the streets are clean, and it's sunny. They've got great beaches too. If you come I'm gonna show you just how amazing it is." He's got one arm around my shoulder as he smiles at me. I can't help but reciprocate his excitement.

"Then I guess I have to talk to Chiron," I say getting up from the bed and placing the bag in Percy's hands.

"Protect it with your life," I tell him playfully serious.

"This thing spits out cookies that taste just like my mom's, I don't even think you're gonna see it again," he says around a mouthful.

I roll my eyes at him and start walking out of the cabin. Jason follows me out.

I give him a questioning look and he shrugs. "I thought you wanted some company walking to the Big House."

I smile.

Jason's really nice. He always goes out his way to make me feel welcome and part of his group and he's always getting me to smile and glow.

We're walking really, slow chit chatting about nothing when I spot Piper. I wave at her and she comes jogging over, latching onto Jason's arm immediately.

"Hey guys! Where you heading to?"

"Big house," I say.

"Why?"

"Trying to sign up to go to New Rome so I can go to school."

"Awe. You're gonna leave me?! I thought we were finally warming up to being BFFs," she says with a playful pout on her lips.

I laugh. "It's not like that Piper."

She waves me off as if to say 'I'm just playing with ya'.

"It's okay. I'll be here. Remember to visit me," she says running back to her cabin.

Jason turns to wave her bye and he turns back to me.

"You guys are a cute couple."

"Huh," he says screwing up his face.

"I said you and Piper are a cute couple. She's really into you," I say giving him the 'DUH' look. He starts laughing.

"Piper and I aren't dating Christian. I mean we used to but not since 2 years ago."

"Whoa. Why aren't you guys together anymore? You two seem pretty great together."

"We just realized that it wasn't for us." I understand this to be a way of ending the conversation. So I let that part go.

"Well she's interested in you still," I say matter of factly.

"Christian you don't know what you're talking about. Piper is my really good friend."

"You're so dim." I roll my eyes at him and leave him standing in one spot dumbfounded.

"Wait. Wait! Why do you think that?"

I look at him as if to say 'are you serious?'

"The way she always touches you is one sign. The bat eyes she gave you just now and holding onto your arm is another. Every time you and Piper are in the same vicinity it really is YouandPiper. Meaning I never see you two apart when yall are around each other."

"I don't even know what to say," he says blushing.

"I mean there's nothing to say. You may be over Piper, but Piper isn't over you."

"But how do you know? She's an Aphrodite kid, maybe that's just how she acts with boys."

I roll my eyes. "I'm a girl. It's something we do. It's a way of flirting. And even if you wanted to be right about that assumption, Piper is Aphrodite but she isn't like that with anyone else here at camp."

Jason looks as if I've just rained on his parade.

"You're cute when you're shocked," I laugh.

We walk a little ways before he speaks up again.

"Thank you."

I shoot him a confused glance.

"For telling me about Piper and the compliment," he explains.

"Ohh," I smile, "you're my friend Jason. I think it's my job to let you know these things."

My face heats up a little bit and Jason smiles bigger.

"You know you're cute when you glow," he says.

My face heats up big time. I'm thankful for the fact that we've made it to the Big House.

Chiron is on the porch in his true form.

"Hello Chiron," I say.

He smiles down at me.

"Hello Christian. What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if I could go to New Rome this fall to start school. I wanted to know how that would work and what I needed to do."

"That's great. Have you finished high school?"

I nod my head.

"Well I'll send word to New Rome about your interest in going to their school," he says.

"What about Courtney, Maya, and Blaise? Can they come to?"

"They could. The choice would be theirs, however. If they decide to go to New Rome, I will send word. If they do not I've already found them a great charter school to go to, where there are protectors to shelter them."

I nod my head and give Chiron a thank you.

"Well that was easy," I say to Jason.

"What are you gonna do about your siblings," he asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm going to tell them."

"What if they say no?"

I scoff at him. "We're a family. They're not gonna say no."

-/-:-/-/-/-/-:-/:-//

"What do you guys mean 'no'?!"

I found Maya and Blaise before dinner started to ask them about new Rome. We're by the pavilion but far enough to have a private conversation.

They both look at each other then back at me.

"We don't want to go to New Rome, Christian. We're tired of moving places. We haven't even been in camp for a month and you're trying to leave. What are you running from," Blaise says.

"I'm not running from this camp. I'm trying to go to school. If you guys don't come with me to California Chiron is sending you two to a charter school," I retort.

They look at me blankly.

"So you guys really want to separate?"

"Why are you saying it like that," Maya groans.

"Because that's what yall are doing!"

"Listen. We're happy here. New Rome isn't for us, yet. We have a few more years before college. If Chiron can get us into school then we're just gonna go to the school he has to offer."

"Fine."

Blaise sighs. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," I whisper.

"We're still a family though, right," Maya asks.

"Of course we're still a family. I just can't believe we're gonna split up," I say.

Blaise wraps his arm around me and Maya.

"Christian you deserve to do your own thing. You've been looking out for us for your whole life. Go to California and live like a 17 year old should."

I smile at him and we all group hug.

"Hey," a little voice shouts. We turn to find Courtney standing there with her hands on her hips.

"I want to hug too," she says burying herself in the middle.

We split up.

"I can agree to your decisions, but Courtney is too young. She's coming with me."

"Yeah I totally agree," Maya says.

"Plus I don't think she would've went anywhere without you," Blaise chimes in. I smile.

"Where are we going," Courtney asks.

I start explaining to her the plan.

"But will we see Blaise and Maya again?"

"Of course," all three of us say at the same time.

She smiles. "Okay good but can we eat now?"

I nod and we all disperse. Maya goes to sit with all of the other tinkering kids, Blaise heads to the table with the boisterous Ares kids and Courtney bounds into the lap of Dionysus. How did she make the grumpy man like her? No one seems to know.

I head to the Apollo table and make my offering. I'm not too hungry so I nibble on some rice and chicken.

The Caribbean seasonings remind me of get togethers at my grandma's house. I look down at the plate and realize what I had conjured up. It's rice and beans with chicken and baked macaroni.

My grandmother made us this meal every time we saw her. My eyes water a little bit. I will the tears away and slip away silently.

No one notices my departure from the eating pavilion, so I walk around the lake a little bit.

"You okay?"

I nearly jump out of my skin. I turn around to meet blue eyes and a smile that quickly turns into a frown.

"Why are you crying," Jason says wiping my tears away.

I'm not even sure when my tears started but now that I'm conscious of them I'm sobbing.

Jason pulls me into a hug and I'm grateful for the contact because it feels reassuring. I cry for gods know how long and he stands there with me the whole time.

By the time I've finished his shirt is soaked with tears and snot and I feel bad.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"It's just a shirt, Christian. I'm more worried about you. Are you okay?"

I nod my head.

"You're lying."

I can't look him in his eyes and a new onslaught of tears are rushing down my face.

"They don't- they don't want to come to New Rome. I've never been apart from them. Ever. And now it's like our mother died and things are falling apart! My mom made me promise to make sure we didn't split up and now- now they wanna go their own way."

I fist my eyes furiously trying to make the tears disappear. Crying was such a weak trait.

"Christian. It's okay," Jason whispers. "I don't know what it's like to be in your position, but I have been in the position where I traveled with 6 other people and everyday I had to brace myself with the idea that maybe one of us would die- and that did happen. A lot of people died and I lost a lot of people who didn't deserve it. You'd think we'd try to stay together because we all faced these dangers together but that's not how people work. You understand? They go their separate ways to do the things they want to do. Your siblings not wanting to go to New Rome will hurt, but they're doing what they think is right. Just because they're not going doesn't mean you should turn down the opportunity to go to college. You hear me?"

I nod my head.

"So cry because you deserve to cry, but tomorrow you have to be strong again. Okay," he whispered.

I kept my gaze fixated away from his face and nod again.

He grabs my chin and pulls me to look into his eyes.

"You understand?"

"Yes," I whisper.

He smiles at me and wipes a few stray tears from my face.

"You're really pretty you know that?"

I huff and blush hard. My heart starts racing and I try to break away from him but he keeps his grip tight.

"I have tears stains on my face. I'm not pretty right now."

This time he scoffs. He gives me that are-you-nuts look.

"Yeah and so what? I still think you're pretty," he says pointedly.

"I- Jason- Umm thank you."

He smirks at me and starts laughing. "You're glowing."

I roll my eyes and punch him in the chest. He lets go of me to clutch the spot and groans. I laugh and grab onto his arm.

"Thank you for letting me cry on you," I whisper.

He shrugs. "No big deal."

I smile even wider and get on my tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. Now it's his turn to blush.

"You're glowing," I say mockingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't understand how to italicize the letter but when I do learn I'll fix it !!!


	5. The Prophecy

**CHAPTER 5: The Prophecy**

_June 13th, 1995_

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm going to leave Camp Half-Blood. The quest that Aphrodite sent me on will be my last. I refuse to be a pawn in her affairs and the lies she tells to Hephaestus and the trivial rivalry between the blacksmith and Ares._

_I almost lost my life this time around! My Charmspeak wouldn't work on the celestial bronze automan, the robot almost speared me. Thank the gods Caleb was there to defend me._

_I'm scared._

_One day Aphrodite will send me on another petty quest to find some 'sacred' shoes or girdle and I might actually be killed by some scrap metal with mobility. I don't want to go down that way. I want to go down like a warrior should; fighting for a good cause._

_And Caleb...mom has been pushing me to be malicious toward him. My other siblings in Aphrodite play tricks on him because he's from the Hephaestus cabin. They think it's funny. I don't._

_I really, really like Caleb. He's my first and only boyfriend and I think that irks mom and my siblings._

_"You're a child of Aphrodite plus you're hot and extremely powerful. You shouldn't be wasting it on Him. He's not even special. He's so normal. As an Aphrodite kid, you're in demand, dump Caleb and act like it." Said Avery, my supposed best friend._

_I didn't care that Caleb wasn't gifted, he was great at combat and he made such exquisite things for me._

_This last quest made me realize I don't have time to be engrossed in petty ideals. I was a spear away from being a kabob and I refuse to go down that way._

_So Caleb and I are planning to leave and never come back._

_Love Yours Truly,_  
_Mary Tucker_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We're all sitting in the Apollo cabin. Percy, Jason and I crowded on my bed. While Nico helps Will pack his stuff up.

"Will, you really need this," Nico says pulling out a rubber chicken and shaking it around.

"Oh my god, yes! You never know when you might need a rubber chicken at college."

Nico rolls his eyes and flings it over his shoulders. "No you don't."

I laugh a little. Watching Nico and Will was one of my favorite things to do. They were so cute.

I was just about to comment on them when the door to the cabin burst open. Rachel is standing there, red hair whipping all over the place and her green eyes glowing bright.

There's green smoke flowing from her mouth and she floats towards us.

"What's going on," I ask Jason as Rachel approaches us.

She doesn't look like herself. Something about her radiates an ancient aura.

"This can't be possible. The power of the oracle was supposed to be lost," Will says hoarsely.

Rachel begins speaking and the room falls silent.

"Five for a quest, a healer at her very best.  
To seek Apollo's lost power, lest the world have darkness shower.  
Sun, Sea, and Sky will unite, to find the Oracle in one week's time.  
Siblings bond will be put to the test, what only success can put to rest."

When she's done she collapses on the floor. Percy jumps off the bed and rushes to her side and puts her head in his lap.

"She's bleeding!"

I snap out of my reverie and grab my bag from under my bed. I stick my hand in the bag and pull out two jars of salve and I grab a pillow from my bed. I place it under Rachel's head and part her hair. The cut is deep and it's leaking a lot of blood. I rip my camp shirt off and press it to her head and apply pressure. When I've soaked up enough of the blood I apply the first salve, it stops the bleeding. I apply the second one and it begins to close the cut.

"Jason bring me my bag," I say pointing to the bag with my bloody hand.

He brings it to me and I pull out a roll of gauze. I begin wrapping Rachel's head to protect the healing wound.

"Someone take her to the infirmary."

Nico and Will lift her up and they take her out of the room. I stay there on the floor in Rachel's blood.

I don't even realize I'm talking until I'm finishing my sentence.

"Why would the oracle be lost?"

"It's not the oracle who is lost, but the gift of prophesies. We haven't had real prophecies since Gaea was defeated. Apollo has been quiet for almost 3 years," Percy says.

I feel a hand on my arm and I'm being pulled up from the puddle. A shirt is being thrust over my head and I'm thankful for it.

"You should go shower. When you're out we'll go talk to Chiron," Jason says.

I nod and I walk to the showers shakily.

What was going on?

\-------------------------------

When I make it to the Big House a meeting has been called. A few kids in purple shirts I had never seen were there. They looked warrior like. One kid was tall and Asian, his arm was wrapped around a dark skinned girl with curly hair and next to him was another girl who was tall and regal with black hair braided over her shoulder.

I take a seat next to Will. I glance around the room and see head counsellors for each cabin in attendance. A blond girl with piercing grey eyes gives me a head nod. I reciprocate.

The table we sit around is a huge ping pong table. Everyone's weapons clutter the table as they mumble to each other.

"Are you okay," Will whispers.

"Yeah. I've just been playing the prophecy over in my head. It doesn't make sense."

He frowns. "It's gonna be okay."

I look him in his eyes and nod. "I hope so."

"Okay lets start this thing," Jason says.

The table quiets down as he stands near Chiron.

"First off; Rachel's okay. She's in the Big House right now recovering. Kayla's with her now. Secondly; yes Rachel had a prophecy."

Everyone breaks into chatter. The blond in front of me scowls as she whispers something to Percy. Percy nods his head and stands up.

"Be quiet. We need to figure out a plan of action. It's obvious we have to go on a quest."

"What's the prophecy," Piper asks.

"Five for a quest, a healer at her very best./To seek Apollo's lost power, lest the world have darkness shower./Sun, Sea, and Sky will unite, to find the Oracle in one week's time./Siblings bond will be put to the test, only success can put to rest."

The room is silent while everyone thinks. The blond girl speaks first.

"It's obvious it's about an Apollo kid."

"It's Will," says one of the twins.

The girl rolls her eyes. "It's a girl."

"Kayla?" The other twin chimes.

Will scoffs. "Kayla is a better archer than healer. I think it's for Christian."

I think I was following the conversation very well until I heard my name.

"Huh?"

I can feel the blond girl scrutinizing me.

"It says a healer at her very best. You're one of the best healers I've ever met and I think everyone can vouch for that," Will states.

There's chatter as everyone agrees. I'd patched up everyone in the room, except the purple kids and the blonde, at least 4 times.

"Sun, Sea and Sky. That's obviously Christian, Percy and Jason," says Clarisse, "but the line about siblings. That's vague."

Piper nods. "That could mean anything. Technically being Greek aren't we all related?"

Leo scoffs. "If that's right I want to be wrong."

"No, I don't think it's about godly siblings. I think it refers to siblings of the same mortal parent," Nico explains.

"So like what," I say concerned.

I think Nico can read my face.

"It means I think you're siblings need to go on the quest as well."

Before I can object someone else is talking.

"But how can we find the oracle when she's already here? And why does everything have to end in darkness or death?!"

"We need to find Delphi and find the power that makes prophecies and it wouldn't be Gods if it wasn't dramatic," the blond girl says.

There's silence at the table.

Chiron speaks. "So it's settled then," he pauses, "Christian, Jason, Percy, Maya and Blaise will complete the quest and be back in one week."

No one objects and I'm angry. I was being volunteered for something I had no interest in and people expected me to drag my brother and sister in it as well. I stand up abruptly and my chair falls back.

"I'm not putting my siblings lives in jeopardy for anyone's quest and I don't appreciate my name being volunteered. I want nothing to do with this."

Before anyone can say anything I leave the room without a backwards glance.

I slam the door of the Big House and walk off the porch. I hear footsteps following me but I ignore them.

My arm is being gripped and I'm being yanked back.

I'm face to face with the grey eyed girl.

"Get off-"

"The way Percy and Jason talk about you and praise you I really thought you were someone that was worthy of the interest they give you, but you're not. Not even a little."

"You don't know me."

"I don't need to know you. You showed me who you truly are back there in the attic. You're a _coward_."

I yank my arm out of her grasp and shove her. "Who do you think you are?!"

She catches herself before she falls and glared at me.

"I'm Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena," she says stoically while raising her hands in a defensive position.

The name rings a bell but I don't care, she's taken it way too far. I raise my hands as well and we're going at it.

No punches are landed anywhere. Every time her fist comes close to my face I dodge her, she does the same.

"You're such a coward," she says attempting to knock me down.

I block a hit for my stomach and laugh. Where did this girl come from? Why did she think for one second she knew me?

"Oh you're, Annabeth; the know it all."

I see anger flare up in her eyes and I feel searing pain on the left side of my face. I stumble and fall down.

"Gonna cry?"

I don't reply. I take her down by her waist and when I'm on top of her I land a few hits to her face. She starts blocking them but that doesn't deter me. I don't care.

I feel strong arms pull me off of her.

I struggle against my captor. Annabeth is bleeding while Jason helps her up.

"Stop Christian," Percy whispers.

I stop struggling and go limp in his arms. He sets me down after a few moments. I can see the dark skinned girl fretting over Annabeth and Piper throwing daggers my way.

"What happened," he says steering me away from the others.

"She called me a coward," I whisper.

"You fought her for calling you a coward?" He looks at me intently and his green eyes twinkle with concern.

"No, that's not all. She grabbed me and wouldn't get off of me and she- she told me that I didn't deserve the praise you and Jason give me and then she called me a coward and it was all just too much. I'm not a coward!"

And I'm crying. Again. Like some kind of sissy.

I'm pulled into an awkward hug and Percy is awkwardly patting my head.

"It's okay Christian. You're not a coward and you not wanting to put your siblings' lives in danger doesn't make you one. And Jason and I will never not think you're awesome," he tells me.

I nod my head in his chest and wipe my tears away. He smiles at me.

"Better?"

"Better."

"Good. You've gotta patch up that bruise and I've gotta change my shirt."

I apologize for his wet shirt and he shrugs.

"I've been wearing this for a week. It's been dirty and plus you needed me," he says with a smirk. I laugh a little and we walk to his cabin.

"Don't mind Annabeth. She's very headstrong and sometimes a little rude."

I huff. "A _little_ rude?"

He chuckles as he places another shirt over his head.

"Trust me, I dated her for a while, she's not that bad."

I try to imagine her and Percy together but it doesn't seem right. Percy is so nice and goofy and she seems so uptight and OCD. Maybe that's where that saying opposites attract comes into play.

"So you're not gonna go on the quest?" He asks sitting on his bed.

"No."

A bright light flashes and the smell of ozone wafts up my nose. I close my eyes tight as the light fades. When it's gone I open them and see a blonde man standing there. He's wearing cargo shorts, a shirt that says 'My Lyre is cooler than yours' and a guitar strapped to his back.

From the conversations I've had with my other siblings, I know this is Apollo, but he's older looking than I've heard. He looks about 21. Like a more godly version of Will. It's scary.

His face is set in a frown.

"You have to go on that quest."

I'm shocked and at a loss of words.

"I-I'm not going. I don't want to find Delphi-"

"You have to. Christian you are a very powerful demigod. You're the only one of my children that could withstand a quest of this magnitude. I'm not even supposed to be here, dude. I'm risking the wrath of Zeus, for you."

I roll my eyes at him and wonder if he rhymed at the end on purpose.

"You didn't help me save my mom," I whisper.

He looks down. "There wasn't much I could do in that situation that was beyond my control-"

"You have the best aim in all of the world! You have arrows that will always reach its target! You mean to say you couldn't have-"

"Watch your tone!" I shut my mouth. The Sun god's skin glows and his hair glows brighter.

When he cools down his image changes and I see him resembling me more. He looks more like a picture my mom has in her diary. His skin is more bronze and his hair is a bit darker and curlier, and instead of crystal blue eyes, they're bright hazel. His nose changes and his jaw line is more crisp and the little bit of roundness his face held has completely melted away.

In his new face I can see some of my features. Like my eye color, and my eye shape and even the glow radiating off of him reminds me of myself.

"I couldn't interfere with that, Christian, but I've been there for you. The car I sent you, helping you with the Minotaur, the medallion you're wearing." When he says that I hold the medallion. "I've been there for years. Those times when you needed just a little more strength to keep pushing that was my favor. So before you get bold remember that."

I nod my head slowly.

He smiles softly. "You're just like your mom," he pauses, "I need you to go on this quest. I need you to help me clear my name by finding the oracle. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"You don't have to call me sir. I'm too young for that. Call me dad," he says touching the side of my face where I got punched.

"D-dad." The word feels so foreign on my tongue but it's reassuring and it feels right.

"Thank you, Christian. I will not forget this."

I nod my head and he begins to glow. I close my eyes and the light becomes intense. When I open my eyes he's gone.

"So you're not gonna go on the quest?" He asks sitting on his bed.

I whip around to face him.

"You just asked me that," I say.

He gives me a crazy look. "No I didn't. I just sat down."

I stare at him with my mouth agape.

"Are you okay?"

"You don't remember the light and Apollo?!"

"Christian." He looks worried.

"Yes. Yes I'm going."

When I say that he smiles. "I knew you'd come around. Do you smell that? It smells like ozone."

I shake my head no and leave his cabin.

"When did you heal your face?"

"I didn't."

"Well the bruise isn't there anymore," he says making some water float up so I could see my reflection. The bruise was gone.

"Apollo's touch!"

Percy looks at me from the corner of his eyes. "...okay."

\------------------------------------

When we make it back to the big house my brother and sister are there with back packs on their backs. They're dressed to leave.

"Are you okay? We heard what happened," Maya says.

I nod my head.

"Yeah. I'm okay. You guys are ready?"

"As ready as we can be," Blaise says.

I nod and make my way to the porch where Annabeth is sat with Piper, Jason and the purple kids Percy explained to me were Frank, Hazel and Reyna.

She's holding a frozen bag to her face. She's glaring at me.

"I don't like your methods of trying to make people do things. You don't know me, but I understand what it feels like to wanna protect those you love. I wasn't being a coward. I was being selfish. You don't know me, so don't assume you do and we'll get along just fine. I'm daughter of Apollo, Wise Girl, and I don't take shit from anyone," I say extending my hand.

She stares at my hand for a few seconds when I begin I contemplating to retract it, she smiles slowly and takes my hand in hers.

"Now that's the person Jason and Percy are always boasting about," she says with her split lip. I cringe a little and apologize.

"I deserved it."

"Yeah you kinda did," I laugh, "but let me fix it."

I touch her lip and it heals. I do the same to her cheek.

"I thought Apollo kids had to sing to make things heal?"

I shrug. "It's something I discovered a few days ago and I don't sing."

She nods her head and thanks me. I get formal introductions to the Camp Jupiter kids. Reyna's hand shake leaves my hand pulsing.

Chiron calls for us and we walk out onto the front lawn of the Big House. The five of us going on the quest line up in front of him. The sun is just beginning to set.

"You know what you guys have to do?"

We nod our heads solemnly.

"It's best if you guys leave now. You have 7 days to complete the quest. Before you go, make offerings to the gods and we'll bid you farewell," he says.

We head to the dining pavilion and the fire is burning bright. I make my offering to Apollo and Hermes and silently asking for light to guide us when we're in the dark and safe passage.

"Guys!"

I turn around and Courtney is standing with Dionysus and Pollux.

She's frowning. "Where are you going?"

Blaise, Maya and I exchange looks. In the excitement the prophecy had caused, we forgot to tell Courtney.

"Court, we're going on a quest."

"A quest? Am I going too?" Her eyes are glowing bright.

"No."

"But you guys are going."

I look to the other two for support but they avoid my gaze.

"Courtney. You can't come. It's for us-"

"Is this because I don't have a godly parent?! Because that's not fair. I know I'm not a demigod but I'm just as good at fighting as you three are and I'm smart," she yells and her little brown face starts turning red and tears pool in her brown eyes.

"I know you're a great fighter Courtney, but this quest isn't for you. We'll be back in a few days. I promise."

"Whatever."

A look of hurt crosses my face.

"Courtney," I whisper.

"Go. _Leave._ "

Blaise pulls my arm. "Cmon. We gotta go. We're losing time."

I yank my arm out of his. I hug Courtney and she doesn't hug me back.

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you when I come back," I whisper in her light brown hair.

"Go," she says pushing me with one arm and wiping her tears with the other.

This time when Blaise yanks me, I go. I give Pollux a look and it seems he gets it, because he picks her up and soothes her.

\------------------------------------

When we make it out of the borders that protect the camp Jason slings his arm over my shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay. You know that, right?"

I nod my head.

"I've never had her act that way towards me. She's never been cold to me."

"She's six. Don't take it too harshly. Her ego is hurt," Percy chimes in.

I nod my head but a line of the prophecy is on my mind. _Siblings bond will be put to the test, only success can put to rest._

I shrug it off and worry about walking in the dark.

"Where is Delphi even located? I hope we're not really going to Greece or anything."

Jason smiles. "While you and Percy were off I talked to Annabeth a little. She said Delphi would of course be here in Western Civilization. Back in the day Delphi would be in the center of the world, where heaven and earth met each other-"

"Wouldn't that be where Atlas is," Maya says cutting him off. "Oops. Sorry."

"No it's fine. That's what I said too, at first, but she said no. There's a difference between the sky and the actual heavens."

"So Delphi is where Olympus and the Earth meets?" Blaise questions.

"Yea. Something like that. Basically Zeus sends out two eagles that meet each other and that's the center of the world and that's where Delphi should be," he finishes.

The whole group is silent and then Percy speaks.

"So we're looking for Eagles in America...where the national bird is the Eagle, because, you know, this place has a lot of Eagles."

I groan because he's right.

"Where the hell are we gonna find only two eagles?!"

\-----------------------------------------

When we make it to the edge of the clearing near the road I see the car.

"Oh my gods!"

I run up to the car and pull its doors open. It's horrifically dirty and super hot inside but it's a car!

"Guys, this is the car I told you about. The one that travels at the speed of light," I say looking at Jason and Percy.

"Good we might need that," Jason says.

"But Christian it's a four seater car, there's five of us," Maya points out.

I look at the second bench of the car and she's right. The middle seat is a cup holder area with speakers. It's kinda small back there too.

I start shaking my head. This magic car had to have some kind of button to press that would change it's shape.

"Well we can set off on foot or better yet, get some war chariots and ride off like that," Blaise says.

I give him a look.

"What?!"

"You're such an Ares kid."

"Don't hate me cause you ain't me."

"Wait. I think I can fix this. I've been working on a few things with the kids from the Hecate cabin. I can install it to the engine," Maya says.

I nod my head. She smiles and opens up the hood of the car. The moon is shining bright and illuminates everything.

"I think Hephaestus kids are essential for every quest," Percy says thoughtfully.

I nod. Maya has gotten us out of serious messes with her gift.

"We gotta hurry though. I'm pretty sure our scent has been picked up. We've gotta get on the move," Jason says watching the forest with Blaise.

"I feel like our time is coming up short," Blaise says unsheathing his kopis, a curved sword in the shape of a 'C' with a handle. "I feel something coming."

I tried to strain my ears to hear but I heard nothing. I turned my attention back to Maya as she did something to the engine.

I started fidgeting cause I could hear what Blaise felt coming. The ground shook and I turned to see Maya still tinkering away.

Not even 30 minutes out of camp and we're set to die. I voice this and Percy laughs.

"Perks of being a demigod."

"Maya you might wanna hurry up! I'd rather not face whatever is coming through these trees." I get my bow ready and knock an arrow that will explode with Greek Fire.

"Trying," she huffed. "There isn't enough light. Christian can you glow?"

I put the bow and arrow down. I tried to radiate light but that didn't work.

"I don't know how."

"Channel something light and yellow. Like the sun or Apollo. Come on. I just need a little light," she says looking at me like she could strangle me with her eyes.

"What kind of mechanic doesn't carry a flashlight," I ask incredulously.

"Can you two speed it up," Blaise snapped.

Maya looked at me urgently. I started thinking of the sun, and sunflowers, the beach and Apollo, but nothing was happening.

"Oh come on! You're always lighting up for your two boyfriends, Jason and Percy," she says.

"They're not my boyfriends!"

My face grows hot and she smiles triumphantly. "Get over here!"

She uses my embarrassment as light and installs the last piece. Before I know it the cars metal framing is melting away and I stare at it in horror.

Maya just smiles. "Wait on it."

Then the frame work moves and morphs itself into a bigger shape, like a truck. The metal forms back around it and the car in front of me is a black Range Rover with tints.

"Bro you made a transformer," Percy says in awe.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," Jason says.

I crawl into the drivers seat and both Jason and Percy head to the passenger seat. They look at each other awkwardly.

"What's the problem!" Blaise yells from the backseat.

"Lemme sit in the front," Percy says.

"No way dude."

I rolled my eyes and Maya speaks up. She pushes them apart and gets in the passenger seat. "I did all the work. I deserve the seat."

That kinda settles it and the two boys jump to the back. We sped away just as a Laistrygonian giant broke through the trees. I floor the gas just to make sure he doesn't catch us.

"Talk about close," I whisper.

/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/-:-/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not sure if it took me long to upload this chapter, but I thank you for the wait!!! Please let me know how I'm doing. Thank you<3 I'm super sorry to anyone who thought there was gonna be immediate smut. Bear with me!! Oh yeah and I'll be starting each entry with a diary entry that will tie in with the story from now on.


	6. Golden Coins

**CHAPTER 6: Golden Coins**

_February 1st, 1996_

_Being out in the world by ourselves hasn't been all that nice. Things were going great and now I'm alone and confused._

_It started when Caleb and I had to leave his parents' house because we'd accidentally brought some monsters. Caleb was pretty optimistic though. As he always is._

_"Come on. We're two teens traveling the world on our own. Imagine how many people wished they could do what we're doing?"_

_He's always so nice. We'd been everywhere. Caleb liked Florida the most. The sun and the beach and the people there are so nice. When we were on the beach I don't go in the sun to tan because it was pretty much pointless (my skin is already dark) but Caleb's pale skin has never looked so tan ever. It looked nice on him._

_I was happy in that moment. I was okay with my life and the outcome when we were on that beach, but now I'm scared again._

_Caleb is missing. He left one night after we checked into a hotel to get some drinks and I fell asleep. When I woke it was to an empty bed._

_I've searched everywhere._

_I can't help but feel something horrible has happened to him. I'm praying that that isn't the case, because I don't know what I would do without him._

_I know this may sound crazy but Caleb is the love of my life and I refuse to lose him._

_Love,_  
_Mary Tucker_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We drive for a few hours south into Pennsylvania. We don't try to travel at the speed of light because Percy brings up a good point.

"Don't you think that's a limited thing? When Hermes gave Annabeth, Grover and me some winds we had to use it sparingly. How do you know that it'll work again?"

So we all decided the speed would be used in a dire emergency.

"I got it!"

The yell distracts me so much I almost swerve off the road.

"Maya," I yell. She's looking at me with a joker grin on her face.

"I got it," she says again.

I pull over on the side of a road. The sun is gonna come up soon and my eyes hurt.

I shake the boys awake. Blaise is drooling on the window. Percy who sat in the middle is sleeping on Jason's shoulder, while the blond boy's head lays on Percy's.

They wake with a groan and Percy has to disconnect a string of saliva from Jason's shoulder. I hold back a laugh.

"I found out how we're gonna find the two eagles."

Jason's eyes light up. "How?"

"I've been searching the web all night trying to figure out anything about two eagles. At first I thought we were gonna have to go to Russia or Germany-"

"Germany?!"

"Yeah I know, Percy. Good news I found an alternative but..."

We all groan.

"What's the bad news," Blaise asks.

"We have to unite the Eagles."

I give her a puzzled look. She began explaining again.

The way I gathered it is the two eagles don't like each other. Kinda like yin and yang but when together they're not exactly promoting balance. So, around 1849 America began making these gold coins, two of them. One is in the Smithsonian Museum the other was given to this guy named William Meredith, a mortal guy who was Secretary of State way back when.

What does any of this have to do with our quest and the eagles?

Around that time Zeus decided to make the eagles those two coins. Instead of gold coins, they became celestial bronze coins. Why didn't any one notice the coins had changed? They're mortals. Simple as that.

I guess that was a pretty good idea, until the coins were split. One going to the museum and the other going to the Meredith guy. I guess this still could've been okay except when Meredith died his house was sold and when it was sold the whereabouts of the coin became unknown.

If we can steal the coin from the museum, find the lost coin, and unite them they'll guide us to the center of the world and essentially we'll find Delphi.

"How are we going to find something that's been lost for more than 140 years," Jason asks.

"How are we gonna break into the Smithsonian!?" Blaise says exasperated.

"How the hell are we gonna get two coins to guide us to Delphi?!!" Percy yells.

Maya and I exchange looks.

"Well first we go to the Smithsonian-"

"Which is in Washington D.C. in Virginia." Maya kindly interjects.

"We'll steal the coin, swap in a fake or something to hold security off and then we'll head to the house of that guy-"

"His home is called the Wheatland Estate which is here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Also home to the 15th president of the the United States, James Buchannon."

"Once we get the coins we'll go from there," I finish slightly annoyed.

Jason shakes his head.

"No we're already here in Pennsylvania. We should find the coin and then go to the Smithsonian. It doesn't make sense to backtrack."

"Alright. Someone has to drive though. I think I'm gonna pass out."

Blaise volunteers and I climb into the backseat between Jason and Percy and pass out.

\----------------------------------

When I wake up it's because we're being pulled over. Percy's shoulder was actually a nice place to rest.

"Oh shit," Blaise whispers. "I don't have a license."

In my disoriented state it takes me a minute to understand what he's saying.

Then I get it. I grab my back and pray to the gods that this bag will fabricate an ID. The bag proves it's use.

I hand it to Blaise.

"This thing says I'm 20."

"Lie and say you're just young looking, you idiot," Maya hisses as the officer comes to the window.

Blaise rolls it down and smiles. The officer at the window is beautiful. She has auburn hair pulled into a ponytail, blue eyes crinkled and her face pulled into a smile.

"How are you doing today," she asks.

"Good and you?"

"I'm doing good, thank you for asking. I was pulling you over because you looked pretty young, darling."

I hear Blaise laugh. "Everyone says that."

She laughs along too. "Well let me just check your ID to verify that you aren't a youngster driving around with pals."

"Yea, no problem." Blaise makes it a show of digging around his pocket to _search_ for his ID.

"There you go."

She leaves and Blaise lets out a breath. He turns back to look at me.

"Bro. That was close. Great thinking."

"Thanks. We've gotta speed this along. How far are we from Lancaster?"

"Like an hour, if we don't hit traffic."

The cop comes back. A scowl on her face.

"You're all going to have to get out of the car," she says. "Keep your hands out of your pockets and in the air."

Everyone looks at one another. I think we all come to the agreement to grab our weapons just in case.

I slide out of the car following Percy. Jason goes the other way. We all meet up on the same side of the car.

"What's the problem," I ask.

The officer glares at me, ignores my question, then smiles sweetly at Jason.

"Nothing is the matter. It's protocol here in Pennsylvania to ID everyone in the car. Do you two have IDs." Her smile is dripping with fakeness.

Jason looks at her puzzled and confused as if he was disoriented.

"Um yeah- I do. It's in this bag hold on," he says trying to take my bookbag off my back.

I pull away from him and hiss, "What are you doing!"

"Giving her the ID."

"She said its protocol," Percy pipes in looking just as dazed.

Maya and I share a look. We could sniff the utter bullshit.

"You three get in the car."

The three boys look ready to cry. Jason doesn't budge neither does Percy or Blaise and I get angry. There was no way in hell I was gonna let this monster take _my_ boys.

I draw my bow and arrows and point it at the lady.

She hisses at me and 4 more women like her appear. But these appear in their true form. They've got fire hair, one donkey leg and a celestial bronze leg. It's a shame they were almost pretty.

"Empousai," Maya gasps.

"What do you want," I ask.

"To stop you and of course eat the boys on this trip."

Blaise sighs lovingly.

"Why? I thought Hecate was on our side- the _good_ side."

The original empousa laughs. "Hecate may have taught the Levesque girl how to wield the magic of the mist, but she is not _good_. Hecate is on no side. And as it may be shocking we come under the order of another god."

A million thoughts are running through my mind when they charge. This act finally jolts the boys out of their daze and we're battling the monsters.

In my effort to dodge a hairy donkey leg, one of the empousai slash a tire. I release an arrow in its chest and it explodes.

The only thing I hate about being skilled with a bow is it isn't great for up close combat.

I switched to my blade and went into combat. From my peripheral I could see Jason and Percy slashing down empousai. It seemed as if every time we slayed one, more appeared.

"They just keep coming," Maya says grunting past me.

Maya's not as skilled with swords and such, so she has these celestial bronze knuckles that she uses. Each knuckle has spikes about 3 inches long and she can shoot them from a distance too. 

They're so bad ass. Punch after punch left the empousa bloody and crying over her misshapen face. I cut her down and Maya smiles.

"Thanks," she huffs.

"No problem," I tell her before slicing at one of the women.

We keep fighting until there is nothing but the foul stench of donkey hairs in the air.

Maya assesses the damage on the car.

"It's pretty ugly."

"How bad is 'pretty ugly'?" Percy asks.

"Like we need a new tire," she says.

"Maya you really need to work on your levels of bad because that's more than pretty ugly," I sighed.

"It's only pretty bad because I saw a sign for a tire place while we were driving."

"So we're pushing the car?" Percy asked.

"Yep."

"How far back did you see it," Jason's says speaking up.

"Maybe a mile or two."

"I'm gonna fly back and see what the sign said to check where we need to go."

She nods.

"And I guess we'll start pushing," Percy says capping riptide.

Blaise claps him on the back and they get ready to push. Jason flies off. I get in the front seat and put the car in neutral, so it'll be easier to move.

"The museum closes at 5 today. If we get this moving along we can be there with enough time to look," Maya huffs as we push.

I'm not sure if it's the hot air or my irritation at having to push the car but I kindly decide to ignore her.

She repeats what she said.

"Did you hear me Christian?"

I snap.

"Yes I did! I'm trying to push this car, I don't have time to think about stupid stuff."

"I was just trying to help," she whispers.

I feel bad instantly.

"I'm sorry Maya. I-I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just irritated and hot. I know what you said is important. It's very important," I say pleading with my eyes for her to forgive me.

"Yeah. It's okay."

I let out a sigh of relief. Making sure my siblings and I had a good relationship mattered to me more than I would ever admit to them. We are all a team and I value what they think of me above anything else in the world. They were my everything and without them I wouldn't be as strong as I am. Without them I'm not sure of who I am.

And now that this stupid prophecy has been spoken, I especially have to keep our siblingship in check.

We push the car for a while before Jason comes back.

"We're like a mile away."

I literally collapse at the thought of pushing this car any further. By the time we make it to the shop, the sun is high in the sky and blazing bright hot.

I can feel my skin sizzling and the sweat on my body evaporating as it forms. Between all of us Percy looks the worst and Maya looks the best.

When we get there Maya wastes no time talking to a big bulky guy and getting our car in for repair. Percy finds a water hose and stands under it.

"He's a child of Hephaestus. Can you believe our luck?"

I actually couldn't. There were a million cars here and we'd just gotten bumped in front of them all.

"So how are we gonna find this coin?"

I nod my head at Jason's question. Nobody says anything.

"I guess we just walk in there and start searching," Blaise says.

"But all those people," Jason says.

I stood there for a moment stunned then it hit me. Hello I'm the daughter of Apollo.

"Guys. I know how to make this serum. Like a sleeping potion. It'll put people out for like an hour or so."

"It's not gonna kill them right?"

"Nah it's safe for mortals. It's kinda prehistoric though, but it works," I say.

"How prehistoric?"

"Pre civil war type stuff. Medics used it to put wounded soldiers out to perform surgeries. It's fool proof. Trust me."

\----------------------------------------

When we got to the house a lot of tourists had gone. We were all happy about that. It made our job way easier.

"Buy your tickets here! Tickets to walk the house of former president James Buchanon! Over here. Buy your tickets!"

"I guess we have to buy tickets," Percy says walking over to the booth.

"I'll go with him," I tell the rest of the group.

The ticket attendant was flirting with Percy, flipping her hair and batting her eyes at him for no reason.

I rolled my eyes. "We need 5 tickets. How much?"

Percy shot me a relieved look.

"Well," she said with attitude. "Kids 4-12 are $15 and adult tickets are $25."

I swung the backpack from my back and began trying to summon what I needed but I couldn't focus. Now that my head was down the attendant was back to flirting with Percy.

"So, like, where are you from?"

"Um. New York."

"OMG like really? I visited there once, but I didn't go anywhere. That place is just so _big_. You know?"

"Uhh yeah. I guess," Percy said slow.

"So maybe if I come down there you could show me all the _big_ things New York has to offer." She was literally in his face at this point and whatever I was trying to get wasn't coming to me anymore.

"Umm. I don't-"

"Well, you know, he won't be showing you anything _big_. Right babe," I say looking at Perce and grabbing onto his arm like couples would.

"Uh ye-Yeah!"

I smiled at him big and pecked him on the cheek. "Can you reach into my bag and get the money? I don't remember where you put it."

When he was in the bag I sent the girl a look. One that said 'try me if you dare.' I think she got it cause her face lit up and she gave us a discount.

"Thank you so much," Percy said to me when we were out of hearing range.

I smiled and shrugged. "She was making me mad."

"Why?"

Good question. I didn't really know why it made me mad. I was pretty sure I liked Jason but Percy is...Percy is hard to ignore.

"You're my friend. I'd want you to do it for me and-and I don't know."

He smiled at me with this shit eating grin and his eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I'll repay the favor one of these days."

I literally thought about combusting on the spot. My face lit up and he chuckled.

We walked back to the group and walked into the house. There was a tour guide waiting for us and a few other people.

"Welcome everyone. You guys are the last group of the day! My name is Jessica and I'm going to be showing you around today. Let's go."

We followed her and started splitting up.

"Put your masks on."

Jason and Blaise stayed with the tour group, Maya ducked under a barrier and slipped away unnoticed while Percy and I stayed behind to find an air vent.

I pulled the vial out of my back pocket and shook it a little.

"How are you gonna make it spread into the air?"

"How good are you at bending liquids that aren't 100% water?"

Percy smirked. "Pretty good."

"Good. I need you to turn this into a mist and filter it through the vents."

I uncapped the vial and the liquid floated out into the air then floated to the air vent. Percy jerked his hands and the body of liquid dissipated into tiny little particles. Like a cloud and then it traveled through the vent.

I placed the mask over my mouth and Percy did the same. Within minutes people were dropping like flies. We found Blaise and Jason not too far away and Maya holding a box with coins in it.

"Doesn't hurt to look right?"

We agreed. Her and Percy went through the box and examined the coins with no luck.

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy," Blaise huffed.

"So let's split up. Maybe we can find something better that way," Jason said. "We only have about an hour. We meet back here in 30 minutes."

\-----------------------------------

Searching for this coin was the most tedious task I ever did in my life. The house was big and the possible places it could be left me feeling overwhelmed. We met up like we agreed to and no one had any luck. We had about 20 minutes left before these people were gonna get up and time was ticking fast.

On our second search I bumped into Maya.

"I wish this was like Harry Potter. Where we could wave our wands and say _Accio golden coin_ and call it a day," Maya sighed.

I don't know what came over me but I grabbed her and hugged her tight.

"Maya, we _can_ do that! A metal detector!"

Her eyes lit up and she smacked her head. "Of course!"

Her hands immediately went to the little messenger bag she kept on her at all times. The tool belt wasn't her thing. _"I know it's handy but unless I can look like the chick from tomb raider, I'm not wearing it."_

And there was no way she was gonna walk around like the tomb raider chick. I'd never allow that, not at the tender age of 12. (I know I seem like such a mom.)

By the time the boys make it back to us Maya is about halfway done constructing this patchwork metal detector.

"What's that?"

"A metal detector."

"Well that's great but these people are getting up anytime. And there's these guards grumbling like they're gonna get up," Blaise says.

"I'm..almost.. _done!_ " Maya holds the thing and turns it on. It whirs to life and she grins maniacally.

For a 12 year old she's great at what she does.

We immediately begin searching the house. The detector keeps a steady beat the whole time. We pass a little girl who's walking around touching all the things that specifically say **Don't Touch**. Outside of her no one wakes.

We cross a sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. The beeping picks up slightly.

"Outside?"

Blaise opens the doors and we proceed outside to a water fountain. It's a marble fountain that has an eagle statue with its wings spread as if ready to soar. There are thousands of coins in the fountain and the detector goes crazy.

"You really think it's in here?"

"The detector says so."

"But all this time, no one thought to look in here?!"

I shrug at Jason. "We didn't think to look in here," I say pointedly.

"Touché. You'd think the people that run the estate would collect this money though."

"Lets thank the gods they don't," Blaise says.

When Maya walks around the fountain the detector beeps once really loud then stops. She flips a switch and the water bubbles before a few coins jump out.

Upon closer inspection I see that the coins are a few drachmas and amongst that is a coin larger than those with an eagle on it.

Percy holds it and nods his head.

"Definitely magic-"

"Hey! What are you kids doing?!"

We all lock eyes and run out of there so quick. We push past the one security guard and he goes flying into a near by area that says don't touch. When we're all in the car we're laughing and huffing.

The car is silent and Jason's speaks up.

"We actually found the fucking coin!"

His excitement seeps into our bones and we all get loud. We all know this is step one in this whole quest but, damn, we did great.

When we pull up to a motel its late. We had to drive out pretty far because the local police station were looking for five kids that stole from the Wheatland Estate.

Rooming in one room is a no-no, so Blaise, Maya and I share a room with two beds and Percy and Jason have the same.

When we're all situated in our rooms I leave to fill the ice bucket the room supplies when I run into Jason a few doors from my room.

"Oh- hey Jason."

"What are you doing up?"

I show him the ice bucket.

"Ohh."

"Yeah." I feel my chest get tight and my heart starting to pump a little faster. I know my face is slightly glowing. "Why are you up?"

"I was actually hoping to see you. I was gonna come knock on the door but I wasn't sure if you were up and I didn't want to wake Blaise or Maya, so I decided to walk around," he says with a smirk on his face. I have to look up into his blue eyes and I know I'm making a face.

"They're up. Why, is everything okay?"

"Yeah it is. I just wanted to say thanks for making sure we didn't fall into that empousai trap."

My face glows but I'm slightly relieved. "It's okay. That's what friends do."

"Make sure killer magic demons don't kill them?"

"Precisely," I laugh.

It's quiet and I lean on the wall closest to me.

"Christian?"

"Yeah."

Jason is staring at me intently. His face is slightly flush and he has this shy smile on his face.

"I like you," he says.

I think my brain short circuits because I stutter out, "Y-you like me? Like you like-like me?"

_Real smooth._

"Yeah," he said while biting his bottom lip.

His hand came up and caressed the side of my face. I trained my eyes on the ground because _woah this is really happening_. I swear for a minute I thought to myself, _this_ is what normal teenagers do. His hand traveled to my chin and lifted my head a little. His face was so close to mine and I could feel myself heating up.

"Can I kiss you?"

I don't trust myself to speak so I nod my head and he brings his lips to mine. The gentle move of his lips soon turn to excited nips and the caressing of his tongue against my lips. I open my mouth and let him dominate the kiss.

The bucket slips from my hands and I wrap my arms over his shoulders into his blonde hair and kiss back. The press of Jason's hands on my back sends jolts up my body and I break the kiss for a breath of air and he continues kissing along my face and neck.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers against my ear. Another shiver travels down my spine and I whisper a thank you.

He slowly releases me and I take a step back to try and center myself. I breathe deep a few times to clear my head. When I look at Jason he's smiling big.

"What," I ask.

"Nothing," he says before pulling me in for another kiss. This one was short. "I should let you go before Blaise and Maya come looking for you."

He hands me the bucket and kisses me again. "Goodnight." He doesn't leave until I'm in the room and I can't make myself move from the doorway.

The gods didn't prepare me for this and I forgot the ice.

Damn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, Im sorry that i went a whole month without updating. Im sorry. Im sorry. Im sorry. But yeah I hope the ending scene was good. I worked hard on everything trying to make it seem as authentic as possible. If you can't wait for smut I posted a little one-shot. Read that and..idk...let me know if its good? Ya know...No pressure. lol Anyways Thank you for sticking with me :D

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first upload on Ao3. I hope you enjoy this! Lemons and such will be coming later after our characters have been established. Let me know what you think. Thank you !!!


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